Pomegranates on the Dagestan carpet

A white plate holds three pomegranates and two pale quinces, one still trailing a leafy stem, stacked in a loose pyramid against a black background. Below, the plate rests directly on a densely patterned Dagestan-style carpet whose red field is filled with a large stylized gold-and-blue rosette and bird motifs woven into each corner.

The fruit is rendered with careful realism — smooth highlights on taut pomegranate skin, soft matte texture on the quinces — while the carpet below is painted in flatter, graphic strokes that mimic woven ornament. The sharp contrast between illusionistic fruit and decorative pattern gives the still life a quiet, contemplative order.