This masterfully still life with peaches and plums was executed in 1915 by famous Russian painter of Estonian origin Alfred Alexandrovich Girv (Girva; Hirv). Nearly identical still life with the same motive was represented on Russian website:

https://kupitkartinu.ru/painters/girv-girva-alfred-aleksandrovich/

Portrait painter, graphic artist. Pupil of the famous landscape painter Julius Klever. He created portraits, landscapes and genre paintings but the main thing in his work was still-life with flowers, fruits and game-in a variety of combinations.The artist was born in 1880 in the city of Pechora. In 1890-ies he studied in St. Petersburg in the art-Industrial school Stieglitz and in the workshop Julius Klever. In 1898-1899 he studied at the Academy of Arts in Rome and in 1900 he studied at the Art School of Anton Azhbe in Munich. Since 1898, he has participated in art exhibitions of the St. Petersburg Society of Artists, the Association of Artists and others. He lived and worked in St. Petersburg and was a member of the St. Petersburg Society of Artists. Among St. Petersburg artists he was a recognized master of still lifes. The artist was associated with academic realism; His still-lifes, made in the manner of the Golden Age of Dutch masters of the XVI century, often have a chamber character-it is characteristic of large-scale image, simplicity of composition and decorative sounding of color.It is a combination of old picturesque techniques and modern objects that gave many of his works the aroma of timelessness: Still Life with grapes, still-life with peaches and plums, still-life with pumpkin and red currant, still-life with watermelon, lilac and cherries, Still Life with champagne, fruit and game, still life with bat game, Teterki, Hare, Still life with lobster, etc. One of the favorite themes in still life’s of Girv is a basket with red currants.His works were successfully reproduced in various periodicals (journal "Niva", etc.).

Works of Alfred Girva (Hirva) are in the Museum of KUMU (Tallinn, Estonia), in the Krasnodar Art Museum, Vjaznikovskoj Art Gallery and other museums in Russia.

Literature : (in Russian) Государственный художественный музей ЭССР. «Периодика», 1981; Коновалов Э. Г. Новый полный биографический словарь русских художников. — М.: ЭКСМО, 2008; Реалистическое искусство в Эстонии, 1956; in on-line: Russian Wikipedia.

Inscription: signed in Cyrillic and dated 1915 lower left.

Technique: oil on canvas. Original period partly gold-plated frame.

Measurements: unframed w 28 1/2" x h 23 1/4" (72,5 x 59 cm); framed w 33 7/8" x h 29" (86 x 73,5 cm).

Condition: in very good condition, professionally cleaned and relined.

Short biography in Russian:

Альфред Александрович ГИРВ (ГИРВА; ХИРВ) (Alfred Aleksander Hirv; Alfred Girv (Hirv); Alfred Alexandrovich Girv) – русский живописец, портретист, график. Ученик известного пейзажиста Юлия Клевера. Работал в области станковой живописи; писал портреты, пейзажи и жанровые картины. Главным в его творчестве был натюрморт с цветами, фруктами и дичью – в самых разнообразных сочетаниях. Художник был связан с академическим реализмом; его натюрморты, выполненные в манере письма голландских мастеров XVI века, часто имеют камерный характер – им свойственна крупномасштабность изображения, простота композиции и декоративное звучание цвета. Именно сочетание старых живописных приёмов и современных предметов придало многим его произведениям аромат вневременности: Натюрморт с виноградом, Натюрморт с персиками и сливами, Натюрморт с тыквой и красной смородиной, Натюрморт с арбузом, Сирень и вишни, Натюрморт с шампанским, Фрукты и дичь, Натюрморт с битой дичью, Тетерьки, Заяц, Натюрморт с омаром и др. Одной из излюбленных сюжетных тем в натюрмортах Гирва является корзина с красной смородиной. Успешно репродуцировал свои картины в различных периодических изданиях (журнал «Нива» и др.). Работы Альфреда Гирва (Хирва) хранятся в музее KUMU (Таллинн), в Краснодарском художественном музее, Вязниковской картинной галерее и других музеях России. .