Still Life with Lemons in a Wicker Basket, Juan de Zurbarán

Still Life with Lemons in a Wicker Basket, Juan de Zurbarán

A wicker basket is piled high with fresh lemons, seemingly just picked from a tree, their leaves still attached. Sprigs of flowers – lemon blossom, red carnations, blue delphiniums, white roses, day lilies and a tulip – are scattered throughout the composition.

A goldfinch perches on the edge of a delicate porcelain bowl filled with water, and a single lily floats on the surface. These are almost certainly intended to be symbolic: the water and lily refer to the purity of the Virgin Mary, and the goldfinch is often associated with Christ’s Passion (his torture and crucifixion) and sacrifice.

This is one of a dozen or so surviving paintings by Juan de Zurbarán, son of the celebrated painter Francisco de Zurbarán. Juan delights in conveying the texture of each object – coarse lemon rind, waxy leaves, the reflective surface of the silver tazza. In this still life he successfully combines a straightforward design with a remarkably subtle handling of paint.