Like the 18th century master Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin, Bonvin portrayed genre scenes and still lifes that feature household itemss, fruits and vegetables in intimate settings. Here, a simple arrangement of asparagus becomes the focus of the composition. The son of a constable in the Parisian district of Vaugirard, Bonvin was largely self-taught. While working as a clerk for the local police, he began to paint still lifes, but it was not until 1840 that he would devote his efforts solely to his art, aligning himself with the realist movement promoted by Gustave Courbet and the writer Jules Champfleury.