In the seventeenth century, Flanders was the centre of European trade in fruit and vegetables, making still-life paintings extremely popular as symbolic displays of prosperity in the homes of the merchant classes.

As seen in both paintings by Cornelis de Bryer, artists of the time endeavoured to paint with great detail and accuracy to render their expensive subjects as perfect. A half-peeled lemon and open fig suggests a visual and literal feast, illustrating the demand for luxury. A bruised peach, however — in the composition’s foreground — is symbolic of the ephemeral nature of beauty and perfection.