Flowers and fruit

One of the Gallery’s earliest acquisitions, this picture came from the Sydney International Exhibition of 1879–80. Much admired, notably for the marvellous imitation of the opalescent hues of the shell set in a gold goblet, it was awarded a ‘first degree of merit special’ and a small silver medal. The contrived arrangements typical of the artist allowed him to demonstrate his skill at painting precious man-made objects as well as fruit and flowers.