[Skip to content] Of course there are paintings in which food is just food. 1601 An embodiment of hedonism, inebriation and bodily abandon, Dionysus and Bacchus were typically portrayed at a drunken banquet, dining and boozing it up among the satyrs, maenads and bacchantes. York Museums Trust, Still Life of Fruit and Flowers with Bird's Nest on a Marble Ledge. Originally they were a symbol of royalty and wealth - an exotic fruit imported across oceans to the homes of the upper class. Food symbolism alludes to “foods which are used in religious communities or traditions to symbolise an aspect of the faith, or to commemorate a festival or hero of that faith group. Using it as a motif, or repetitive symbol, in literature makes reading all the more delicious. Castillote In this Flemish School painting, Christ is depicted in the house of Simon the Pharisee. Whatever the grain, bread occupies an important place in every civilization. Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, 'Last Supper' Plaque 206. Moving into the New Testament, a popular artistic subject matter was the feast of Herod, showing the moment when Herodias' daughter, Salome, presents the decapitated head of John the Baptist on a silver platter. The gesture of Jesus sharing food has served as a powerful metaphor for the spreading of the Christian faith. For example fish and eggs symbolise Christ, oil is associated with religious rites, while the mortar and pestle can sometimes symbolise copulation and so on. It can be in the colors of a painting, the metaphors in a poem, or the setting of a scene or book. Asparagus . Banquet Still Life Apply artistic techniques and concepts learned in this course in your professional and/or personal life. From parables such as Christ's feeding of the five thousand to the story of the Last Supper, Biblical narratives have used food to demonstrate Christ's ability to perform miracles. While the lobster and crab symbolised extravagance, the oyster was known for being an aphrodisiac or sexual innuendo. (copy after Leonardo da Vinci) c.1520. Art for art's bake: when the Great British Bake Off meets art, Lemons and lobsters and cabbages, oh my! National Galleries of Scotland, The Feast of Herod The list of foods with religious symbolism provides details, and links to articles, of foods which are used in religious communities or traditions to symbolise an aspect of the faith, or to commemorate a festival or hero of that faith group. The Fitzwilliam Museum, Still Life with a Lobster Skip to content. Johann Liss (1597–1631) c.1590–1630 The National Gallery, London, A Bacchanalian Revel before a Term 1650-9. c.1850, Still Life of Fruit and Flowers This symbol is used on many products other than food packages also. When the fruit in the portrayals appears to be fresh and ripe, this stands as a symbol of abundance, bounty, fertility, youth and vitality. Rembrandt van Rijn (1606–1669) It also symbolises traditions, entrenched attitudes and even geopolitics. The rise of sugar was again linked to the expansion of Europe's colonies. (copy after Bartolomé Esteban Murillo). Who would not wish to take a bite out of Madame Bovary’s ultra-chav wedding’s Savoy cake, or know for themselves exactly how bad that gruel was in Oliver Twist. c.1617 The symbolism of food and drink has roots in classical literature. Joris van Son (1623–1667) c.1635–1638. Many such foods are also closely associated with a particular date or season. The National Gallery, London, Belshazzar's Feast 1640–1660. Heda (1594–1680) Simon had invited Jesus to his house and is hosting a meal for him. Apart from wine, Bacchus was also the god of agriculture and is usually depicted next to vines and grapes. 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