In this painting Vincent van Gogh experimented with colour contrasts. Like in other still lifes that he made in the Dutch village of Nuenen, Vincent tried out different colour combinations. Instead of placing them next to each other (which he would later do), Van Gogh mixed the complementary colours into shades of brownish-grey. Like in this work. Even though Van Gogh systematically applied colour theory, he did not yet achieve any strong and bright colour effects until he moved to Paris.