A sumptuous Victorian still life with an array of fruit by Derbyshire painter, Joseph Henry Byard (1869-1937). It’s rendered beautifully and represents a familiar snippet of the British countryside.

What do you see here? Grapes, plums, apples? What else?

It’s interesting that Byard has chosen to include some deficiencies in the fruit - for example, the marks on the apple and the decaying leaves. Often, artists would include decay as a commentary on the fleeting nature of life.

Byard was a multi-disciplinarian and he was equally skilled as a porcelain artist.

The painting is signed/dated in the lower left and housed within an impressive gilt frame.

Medium: Oil on canvas
Overall size: 29½” x 33½” / 75cm x 85cm
Year of creation: 1894
Provenance: England
Condition: Very presentable. Frame with some age-related wear and repairs.
Artist’s auction highlight: £11,000 achieved for ‘The Potting Shed’ at Sotheby’s in 1996.