[Sca-cooks] Doc's football shaped things was post in April 2010 Clove defined and symbolism

[Johnna Holloway]

Quite awhile back we were having a discussion on the football shaped items that appear in
Flemish and Netherlandish art. One is featured here:
Still-Life (1552)
Peter Aertsen
http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/a/aertsen/stillife.html

Also here
http://www.wga.hu/art/a/aertsen/marketst.jpg
---

I bring the subject up again as this blog "Researching Food History - Cooking and Dining"
swears these odd shaped objects are butter.
"Have you ever wondered what these objects were in the Dutch market paintings?  Butter was sold in various shapes, sizes, weights and 'prints' over the centuries.  The following Dutch and Flemish butter images from the 16th and 17th century show imprinted oval shaped butter."

http://researchingfoodhistory.blogspot.com/search/label/Butter

Thought people here might like to see this blog posting.

Johnnae

On Apr 5, 2010, at 1:11 PM, Johnna Holloway wrote:
I was thinking the consensus was butter or cheese when we last discussed
the painting. But of course one time one sees butter, one time cheese, but I don't see it as a wafer.
Just to be contrary Food and Feasting in Art by Silvia Malaguzzi (Getty 2008) has this painting
on page 134 and there the description reads:
"The fish garnished with a carnation is a symbol of Christ. A fish is a traditional emblem of Christ as
sacrificial victim, and its symbolism is emphasized here by the red flower."
So is it a piece of fish that bears the marks of a press or griddle?
She also identifies it as being Christ in the House of Martha and Mary.

Johnnae


snipped

>> --On Monday, April 05, 2010 8:07 AM -0700 edoard at medievalcookery.com wrote:

The discussion of clove pinks and sticking foods with cloves brought
this painting to mind.

Still-Life (1552)
Peter Aertsen
http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/a/aertsen/stillife.html

It's one of those "mysterious football-shaped things" (TM).  In this
particular case, it's been stuck with a flower.  Food for thought, eh?

- Doc
>> 
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