Plate of Peaches 1862

Henri Fantin-Latour painted this "Plate of Peaches" with oil on canvas, and in it, he arranges fruit on a plate, alongside a knife. Peaches, since antiquity, have symbolized immortality, affluence, and good health. The presentation of fruit on platters is an age-old motif, echoing back to ancient Roman still-life paintings found in villas of Pompeii and Herculaneum. These paintings, much like Fantin-Latour’s, were not merely about representation, but about evoking sensual pleasures and hinting at deeper themes of mortality and the transience of beauty. The knife, ominously present, hints at an inevitable cut, both into the fruit and into life itself. This juxtaposition of ripe fruit and sharp implement serves as a memento mori, reminding us of the fleeting nature of existence. Consider the subconscious effect of this imagery. A ripe peach, bursting with life, juxtaposed with the cold finality of a blade. It is a cyclical reminder that resonates across centuries.