Still life with drying

Two samovars of different sizes anchor a crowded tabletop, a string of dried bread rings looped over the taller one beside a painted teacup and a tray scattered with beads. In front, a birch-bark basket holds pussy-willow twigs, while a wicker basket of eggs, a bottle, apples and garlic sit on a red flowered cloth backed by a patterned shawl.

Warm silvers and coppery browns of the metalware sit against saturated reds, blues and greens in the textiles, rendered with loose, confident strokes. Light falls softly from the left, catching highlights on the samovars and eggs, and the dense, overlapping objects give the composition a cluttered, homely richness.