Still-Life with Fruit and Crystal Vase

Intense colours characterize the still-lifes of Van Aelst, who worked for a time in France and Italy. In this painting, which was commissioned by Cardinal Giovan Carlo de’ Medici, the intense blue of the table-cloth catches one’s eye. The large crystal vase in the centre of the composition was probably in the possession of the Medici family. The painter placed his signature and the date on the hem of the white tablecloth: W.A.Aelst. 1652.