David de Noter was born into a family of artists in Brussels, Belgium in 1825. His father, Jean-Baptiste, was a painter of city scenes and interiors, and his uncle, Pierre Francois, was a sculptor, painter and designer. David's brother, Raphael, also became a painter; and the style and subjects done by the brothers share similar qualities.
During the 1860's, de Noter lived and worked in Paris and was known to have shared a studio with J. Goupil in 1864 and at Le Vésinet in 1867. At some point during his career, he toured North Africa, in particular, Algeria. It was during this time that de Noter painted this exquisite still life, as he has inscribed the piece by his name with "Algier." Many similar still-lifes by de Noter have the same inscription.