Olives | 42 cm x 54.5 cm | Original on Paper | The Mediterranean Table

"Golden, red, and black. An olive branch heavy with the fruit of a thousand years."

An olive branch laden with golden yellow, red, and black olives glows against a warm ground of soft magenta, bold pink and textured brushed orange in this original acrylic on paper from The Mediterranean Table, part of Luna Burlo's Works on Paper series.

The olive is perhaps the most enduring symbol of Mediterranean life, cultivated for over six thousand years, woven into the mythology, cuisine, and daily ritual of every culture that has ever touched the Mediterranean Sea. In Malta, olives are eaten simply and often — piled into a Ħobż Biż-Żejt, the island's beloved traditional sandwich of crusty bread rubbed with tomato paste, drizzled with olive oil, and layered with tuna, and olives. It is a sandwich Luna grew up with (one her own children now enjoy). A small, delicious act of cultural continuity passed from one generation to the next, from Malta to Melbourne.

One of just twelve originals in this collection, painted on 210gsm paper and hand-trimmed to approximately 42 x 54.5cm. A slight variation of up to 0.5cm in height may occur — a natural characteristic of a hand-finished work.

Warm, bright, and quietly generous. For any space that deserves a little Mediterranean soul.

Framing We recommend professional framing to honour this original work. As a cost-effective alternative, a standard 50 x 70cm frame with a 40 x 50cm mat board works beautifully — note that a few centimetres of the painting's top and bottom edges will sit behind the mat, however most works in this series have been composed with this in mind.

This painting is part of a coordinating set of four, alongside "Tomatoes", "Sage", and "Capsicums". Each shares the same warm magenta and orange ground. Collect one or collect them all.