Food and Feasting in Art

Description

Food and Feasting in Art explores the rituals, customs, and symbolism of food and dining. This book describes the significance of food and feasts as told in scripture and in the lives of the saints; food and dining in Greek and Roman mythology and in later literature and history; and how artists through the ages have created allegories of gluttony and odes to the sense of taste, using, for example, artfully positioned fruits and vegetables in the golden age of the painted still life. It details the role of table settings in relation to such ceremonies as formal dinners and royal banquets, and offers a close-up look at the symbolic meanings of individual foods and drinks—from the artichoke, also known as "domestic thistle," to champagne, to chili peppers and absinthe. This volume is deliciously illustrated with masterpieces of Western art.

384 pages, 400 full-color illustrations. 5 1/4'' x 7 3/4''. Paper.

• 384 pages
• 400 full-color illustrations
• 5 1/4'' x 7 3/4''
• Paper