Cornelis de Heem was fond of painting garlands of fruit such as this, held together by a blue ribbon tied into a bow and hanging from a nail. The bright colours of the garland stand out against the dark background. The garland could not have been painted from life as some of the fruits composing it would have been available only during different seasons of the year. A common practice in such cases was for the artist to select the fruit he wished to paint from the stock of detailed watercolour studies he had built up over the years.