Baird’s paintings are characterised by an obsessive attention to detail, and this meticulously painted still life is no different. Painted during the war years when fruit was scarce, the apples and pears had been brought from abroad by the artist's brother. However, as Baird was a perfectionist, by the time he had finished the painting the apples and pears were completely rotten – an extravagance, friends said, given the scarcity of fruit during the war years. The blue and white jug is known as a ‘Glasgow Jug’.