Luigi Scrosati - inv. 4738

The subject of this unusual work is very frequent in Luigi Scrosati’s easel paintings.
It can be dated to the last years of the artist’s life (1865–1869), a period in which he devoted himself exclusively to still-life painting, having given up his successful career as a decorator due to ill health; he had previously enjoyed a leading role among the Milanese nobility (Gian Giacomo Poldi Pezzoli too had commissioned him to work on his House-Museum).

These last years were brief but extremely productive and he perfected his technique while specialising in compositions of flowers and fruit. Lively and brilliant colours stand out against a neutral background, rendered in tones of brown enlivened by timid but sure touches of highlights, as in the woven basket, the grey cloth and in the still rather unripe watermelon skin.

P.Z.