Painting of the Day: Robie's Flowers and Fruit, 1863

The Victoria & Albert Museum

Jean Baptiste Robie (1821-1910) painted this woodland landscape in 1863. The scene depicts a river bank with a still life of ferns, pink and white flowers and a basket of raspberries. The canvas is signed with the artists’ name, the year and “Brussels.”

Robie was a Belgian artist who primarily painted flower and fruit still lifes in the tradition of Dutch still life painters of the Seventeenth Century. However, Robie introduced a new, brighter color palette and themes better suited to the Romantic style.