Beautifully detailed Still Lifes from 19th Century

GRUBER, Franz Xavier (Austrian, 1801-1862), attributed to.
A pair of Fruit Studies.

1. Apples.
Watercolor with gouche on paper.
8 3/4" x 11 3/4" visible, 16 1/2" x 19 1/2" framed.

2. Figs.
Watercolor with gouche on paper.
8 3/4" x 11 3/4" visible, 16 1/2" x 19 1/2" framed.

Provenance: Ambassador and Mrs. Joseph Verner Reed.

Attributed to Franz Xaver Gruber (1801-1862), a Viennese botanical painter who was a pupil at the Vienna Academy. In 1835, he became a professor at the Academy, and in 1839 he was made a member of the Milan Academy. Gruber maintained several high profile patrons and painted orchids for Emperor Franz Joseph and camellias for Prince Klemens Wenzel von Matternich. Each of Gruber's brushstrokes reveals the sophisticated detail of these beautifully rendered flowers.