Sumptuous Kitchen Interior (Primary Title)
Interior of Kitchen (Former Title)
Cornelis Jacobsz. Delff, Dutch, 1571 - 1643 (Artist)
Wild game, vegetables, and large copper pots fill the foreground of this kitchen scene, a type of nonreligious painting that became popular in the Netherlands in the late 16th century. At that time, certain moral messages were ascribed to the work: for example, the well-dressed group in the background enjoying the elaborate meal suggested to some the biblical parable of the prodigal son squandering his father’s money. Also, the cuts of meat may literally underscore human carnality, an association emphasized by the lustful servants in the foreground and the wealthier but equally sensual diners behind them. However, it is also possible that viewers then as today were as likely to have enjoyed simultaneous disapproval and delight in the foibles of the servants and diners.
How do you find the abundant display of food in this lavish still life—tempting or distasteful?
Look Here: FEAST, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, VA, March 15-June 25.2006.
Seventeenth Century Paintings of Dutch Interiors, William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art,
Atkins Museum of Fine Arts, Kansas City, November 30, 1967- January 7, 1968.
Fetes de la Palette, Delgado Museum of Art, New Orleans, LA, November 22, 1962- January 6, 1963.
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