Cheese Archive
Pieter Aertsen was a Dutch painter who had a workshop in Antwerp for several years. He painted altarpieces, but also peasant scenes with a moralizing undertone and kitchen still-lifes with religious themes in the background. He continued this work following his return to Amsterdam in around 1557, concentrating henceforth more on the latter genre. This painting may have been produced during his Amsterdam period. The subject of the work has long been debated, although we can be sure it is not simply a peasant scene. it was once believed to be a portrait of the artist’s family, but that hypothesis was rejected some time ago. The scene has all the elements of a rural booze-up. Much drink is being consumed, sausages grilled and bacon fried. […]