This charming mid-18th-century German oil painting depicts a girl wearing a pink bell-shaped gown, white apron, and cap while holding a basket of cherries.
Commissioned for a family home, this gentle portrayal captures a loving image of a treasured daughter. Dressed in her fineries including, what appears to be, a pearl necklace, she’s the image of her mother. The inclusion of a cherry basket is not an uncommon one, particularly during the 1740s, and symbolises both purity and faith.
It’s plausible that the association stems from Renaissance art and the various interpretations of the ‘Madonna of the Cherries’, such as those undertaken by Titian (1488/90-1576) and Quentin Metsys (1465/6-1530). Throughout history, various fruits have carried paradisial associations.
In 1742, around the same time as this portrait, British artist William Hogarth (1697-1764) produced a delightful piece depicting ‘The Graham Children’ - Thomas, Henrietta, Anna Maria and Richard. Henrietta is holding two cherries from one stem, as we see here, in a similar reference to virtue.
Housed a carved gilt frame, which is probably original.
Medium: Oil on canvas
Overall size: 26” x 31” / 66cm x 79cm
Year of creation: c. 1740
Provenance: Private collection, Hamburg, Germany.
Condition: Assessed and approved by our conservator. Cleaned. Revarnished. Canvas relined. Settled craquelure, as you would expect. The paint layer is stable. Historic restorations. Minor stretcher impressions. Frame with light marks and signs of age.
Our reference: BRV1879
