The representation of gastronomy in 17 th-century dutch golden age art

Armutoglu I., Ayten B., Akkoc S., YILMAZ H.

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GASTRONOMY AND FOOD SCIENCE, vol.45, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)

Abstract

This study examines the social, economic, and cultural meanings of gastronomic elements in artworks produced during the Dutch Golden Age. Ten paintings selected from the Rijksmuseum's online collection were analyzed using Roland Barthes's two-level semiology model. The study shows that the food and food related items depicted in works of art are symbols reflecting the social values, moral norms, and economic power of the period. Research results reveal the Dutch rise in global trade was represented in art through luxury consumer goods such as lemons, oranges, Wan Li porcelain, Turkish carpets, and silver pitchers. On the other hand, depictions of bread, milk, and household chores emphasize the simplicity of daily life and moral virtues. In paintings of the Golden Age, fruits such as oysters, grapes, and pomegranates symbolize the impermanence of life. In these paintings, the use of light, symmetry, and symbols emphasizes the tension between worldly pleasures and spirituality. Accordingly, the gastronomic elements in Golden Age paintings provide information about the culinary culture of the time and offer clues about identity, prosperity, beliefs, and existential issues and thoughts.