Basket of Plums

Anne Vallayer-Coster's Basket of Plums from 1769 is an accomplished still life by one of only four women admitted to the French Royal Academy in the 18th century. Vallayer-Coster's election to the Academy at age twenty-six was a remarkable achievement that testified to her extraordinary talent. Her fruit and flower paintings rivaled those of Chardin in their naturalistic precision while maintaining the decorative richness that appealed to aristocratic collectors.

Vallayer-Coster's oil-on-canvas technique renders the plums' dusty bloom and the woven texture of the basket with remarkable tactile precision. The warm, naturalistic lighting and restrained palette demonstrate her mastery of the French still life tradition descending from Chardin.