[2] In November 1884 van Gogh taught some friends from Eindhoven, a large town near Nuenen, to paint inanimate objects in oil.

Van Gogh, in his enthusiasm, created a series of still life paintings of bottles, bowls and pots and other objects.

[citation needed] Both are characterized by smooth, meticulous brushwork and fine shading of colors.

[4] During his two-year stay in Nuenen, he completed numerous drawings and watercolors and nearly 200 oil paintings.

However, his palette consisted mainly of sombre earth tones, particularly dark brown, and he showed no sign of developing the vivid coloration that distinguishes his later, best known work.