This picture displays an obvious knowledge of Matisse's work. Jawlensky had exhibited in Paris at the Salon d'Automne in 1905 and had met Matisse who invited him to work in his studio. Jawlensky showed in this picture a strength of colour and decorative use of colour in eliminating perspectival depth that is drawn from Matisse's example.

Jawlensky described the work of this pre-war period beginning with his 1911 Prerow pictures: "For me that summer meant a great step forward in my art...painting powerful glowing colours...not at all naturalistic or objective...I used a great deal of red, blue, orange, cadmium yellow and chromiumoxide green. My forms were very strongly coloured in Prussian blue and came with tremendous power from inner ecstasy. It was a turning point in my art...The years up to 1914, just before the War, that I painted my most powerful works" (M. Jawlensky et al., op. cit., p. 31).

Another very similar picture depicting the same still-life arrangements against the blue wallpaper is dated 1913 (ibid, no. 616, colour plate p. 468). A photocertificate dated Locarno 22.2.1969 from Andreas Jawlensky states that the work was painted in Jawlensky's studio at 23 Gisellastrasse, Munich.