Historical Artworks

Francisco de Zurbarán, Still Life with Lemons, Oranges and a Rose, 1633, oil on canvas, 60x107cm, The Norton Simon Foundation 

• The 17^th Century was an important time for still life painting as it was accepted by the French Academy of Painting and Sculpture in the 1660’s as an official genre.
• This piece was aimed at and appreciated by the religious Spanish Catholics in the 17th century, as the objects portrayed contained significant religious meaning which was popular in many still lifes at the time.
• Through the composition, the individual objects encourage deep, symbolic religious meaning as all the items are related to the Virgin Mary, and is seen as a tribute to Our Lady. 

• The citrons on the left signify faithfulness, the basket of oranges in the centre represents virginity, the orange blossoms symbolise fertility, the cup of water signifies purity and the rose is a symbol of divine love.
• The structural division of the composition into three separate units alludes to the Holy Trinity, or can be interpreted as offerings on an altar.