This small painting honours the mysterious and sensual fig, highlighting their velvety colours and fleshy insides.

Figs were one of the first fruits cultivated by humans starting around 11,000 years ago. They are loaded with so much history and meaning - the fig leaves of Adam and Eve, Greek mythology and more - and tied to fertility, sin and modesty in many cultures. You can find figs in Roman mosaics and other artworks from antiquity.