A Moveable Feast1

Polyxeni Potter

doi:10.3201/eid1611.ac1611

Abstract

A basket of grapes painted by Zeuxis more than 2,000 years ago was so realistic, the grapes so enticing, that birds flew down from the sky to peck at the picture, wrote Pliny the Elder in The Natural History. Food imagery, around since antiquity, expanded and flourished during the 17th century, as part of renewed interest in still-life painting in the Netherlands but also among German, French, Italian, and Spanish artists of the same period.

Highlights

Abasket of grapes painted by Zeuxis more than 2,000 years ago was so realistic, the grapes so enticing, that birds flew down from the sky to peck at the picture, wrote Pliny the Elder in The Natural History
Though little is known about his life, Gillis was recorded in Haarlem and painted table or banquet scenes, one of the first in his generation to do so, along with Floris van Dijck and Floris van Schooten
Still Life on the Table, on this month’s cover, is a breakfast piece showing fruits, nuts, bread, and cheeses served as dessert

Summary

Introduction

Abasket of grapes painted by Zeuxis more than 2,000 years ago was so realistic, the grapes so enticing, that birds flew down from the sky to peck at the picture, wrote Pliny the Elder in The Natural History. Paintings of food became very common, in Haarlem, and formed the basis for later efforts in the genre. Ontbijtjes, or breakfast pieces showing foods for a snack or light meal at any time of the Author affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Results

Conclusion