This is a brilliant reproduction of an original oil painting created by the French classical artist William-Adolphe Bouguereau in 1897: Bouguereau was a highly accomplished artist of the nineteenth century who received training from Louis Sage: Who was himself a student of the great Romantic, Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres. Apples is an exceptional example of the incredible talent this artist possessed. And to reproduce his works in such great detail is a notable achievement.

The talents of Bouguereau preceded the artist before he attended École des Beaux-Arts in Paris in 1846. He was awarded the Prix De Rome and went to study the Renaissance masters there in 1850. And it is this realist, idealised style that is executed to technical perfection that makes his works so outstanding. The added sensibility and what makes an oil painting instantly recognizable as a Bouguereau is this artist’s unique ability to add a air of delightful Romanticism to his compositions – His move toward more lyrical and lighter mythological subject matter and away from classical historical scenes began around 1870.

Apples is sensitive and light hearted in nature. The child is beautiful, the apples perfect and the scene tranquil: An ideal and lovely composition that remains as endearing today as it did when it was created.