Chocolate Layer Cake with Cream

— inspired by Dutch masters yet unmistakably modern — de Bono transforms a simple dessert into an object of quiet splendour. The surface gleams with a jewel like luminosity, each layer rendered with meticulous precision that invites the viewer to savour the painting as one might the cake itself.

The composition is intimate but never casual. De Bono’s refined control of light and shadow creates a sense of stillness, allowing the textures of chocolate, cream, and porcelain to emerge with almost sculptural presence. This contemplative quality is central to his practice: familiar subjects become meditations on form, balance, and beauty.

As one of Britain’s leading realist painters — with work selected for multiple Royal Academy Summer Exhibitions and held in collections across the UK and internationally — de Bono continues to redefine the possibilities of contemporary still life. Chocolate Layer Cake with Cream is a superb example of his ability to fuse technical mastery with emotional subtlety, making it an irresistible addition to any collection of British art.