Having studied at the Copenhagen Academy Gronland went to Paris where he began to paint flowers, obtaining a first-class medal at the Salon of 1848 and a second class at the Universal Exhibition of 1855. In 1858 he was admitted as a member of the Danish Academy. His qualities as an artist were, in particular, an extremely fine execution of paint and great sensitivity of colour. He settled in Berlin where he achieved a most successful reputation as a painter of flowers and fruit. He exhibited sixteen works at the Royal Academy between 1849 and 1867, all of which were of this subject. He exhibited also at the British Institute between 1857 and 1867 and at the Society of British Artists in 1867. This particular painting is typical of Gronland's work with the carefully rendered fruit depicted with great luminosity and clarity. The forms are built up by the application of layers of pure glazes to create the jewel-like quality of the flowers and fruit.
J. W. Middleton Esq., 1875
Yorkshire Exhibition of Arts and Manufacturers, Leeds 1875, number 277