[Sca-cooks] Period pear varieties?
Johnna Holloway
johnnae at mac.com
Sun Nov 2 16:12:22 PST 2008
Here's some more information on pears as they appear in
the art of Caravaggio (1571-1610).
*Pear (/Pyrus communis/)*
Pears are found in six of Caravaggio's paintings. A great number of
types are displayed including yellow, green, and red with size varying
from small to very large. The small bright red ones in /Boy with a
Basket of Fruit/ resemble Moscadella (Moscatelle) types described by
Bimbi as well as the Micheli manuscript, and also resemble one of the
pears in the Campi painting. The same pears are illustrated in paintings
by Giovanna Garzoni (Fig. 9). There is evidence of leaf roller damage on
one yellow pear. The soft-fleshed European pear (/Pyrus communis/),
native in Europe, North Africa and Asia Minor, has been considered part
of the cultural heritage of Europe. The pear has been consumed since
prehistoric times and dried slices have been unearthed in Swiss cave
dwellings of the Ice Age. The first literary mention of the pear is
found in Homer's epic poem /The Odyssey/ and is included as one of the
"gifts of the gods" which grew in the legendary gardens of Alcinöus.
They are mentioned by Theophrastus and the Roman agricultural writers;
Pliny the Elder writes extensively of pear, mentioning many types. The
pear is found in a number of religious paintings of the Renaissance; the
most famous is Giovanni Bellini's /Madonna of the Pear/. Pears still
find a large place in Italian horticulture although the most popular
pear grown in Italy is now a French cultivar called 'Abbé Fétel'.
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/caravaggio/caravaggio.html
Hope this helps
Johnnae
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