Gooseberries on a Table, 1701 (oil on paper mounted on wood)

Rather than depicting the expensive rarities seen in many 17th-century still lifes, Coorte chose humble gooseberries that could be picked wild almost anywhere. This artist devoted himself to the precise rendering of simple objects in small paintings. Set on a stone table are a few gooseberries, still attached to a branch. The strong illumination gives the composition an enchanting stillness, which contributes to Coorte's appeal to modern taste. The light also gives the fruit a delicate translucency against the black background and reveals the veins of both the fruit and the leaves. The clearly defined crack, along with other small nicks and imperfections in the table, is also carefully highlighted. On the edge of the table the artist signed his name with an elegant flourish.