Martha Dixon Painting Appraisal

Original Still Life Oil Painting by Martha Dixon

This is an original oil on canvas still life painting featuring a classic arrangement of fruit and a glass vessel. The composition centers on a slender, clear glass bottle with a cork stopper, flanked by large clusters of dark purple-blue grapes with variegated green and brown leaves. In the foreground sit a small red apple and a large round fruit, possibly a melon or citrus, while a green pear rests on the right. The artwork is characterized by soft, painterly brushstrokes and a muted, atmospheric background of pale blues and grays. The piece is signed 'Martha Dixon' in the lower left corner in a reddish-brown script. The painting is housed in an ornate vintage frame consisting of a dark wood outer molding, a wide linen-covered linen liner, and a dark inner fillet. The style suggests mid-20th-century American representational art, likely dating from the 1960s to 1980s. Physical condition appears good overall, though there is minor visible wear on the wooden frame edges and slight yellowing of the linen liner consistent with age. The canvas tension appears stable, and the pigment retains good color saturation with no obvious signs of flaking or restoration.