Fruit

George Lance's Fruit from 1842-43 exemplifies the still life painting that made him one of the most successful specialist painters of Victorian England. Lance studied under Benjamin Robert Haydon but found his true vocation in still life, producing lush arrangements of fruit that rivaled the Dutch Old Masters in their technical virtuosity. His fruit paintings commanded high prices and were widely exhibited at the Royal Academy.

Lance's oil-on-canvas technique achieves extraordinary textural precision in rendering the varied surfaces of different fruits. The rich coloring, strong lighting, and meticulous detail demonstrate his mastery of the still life tradition descended from the Dutch and Flemish masters.