Carrots depicted in Fine Art Works (original) (raw)

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Also illustrations of various carrot colours appeared in many illuminated manuscripts, some of the surviving examples are shown here - ancient manuscripts. More carrot art in theWikigallery here.

Paintings depicting vegetables form a rich source for the study of the history and evolution of cultivated crops.

Carrots have appeared in many great artworks over the years and in fact came to their rescue when plant biologists were trying to identify old species and the only records were in paintings such as the ones on this and subsequent pages.

For example, Gabriel Metsu's Vegetable Market at Amsterdam circa 1661-1662 (right) accurately rendered vegetables and shows the vegetable vendors and their goods prominently positioned in the foreground, depicted to reflect a recent Dutch horticultural innovation � including the development of the orange carrot. The market was close to where he lived.

Metsu's painting also shows the new vegetable; this reflects the artist's desire to depict the most recent Dutch horticultural innovations rather than to adhere to outmoded artistic conventions. Metsu's accurate depiction of the Horn carrot is significant because other artists exercised artistic license in treating this and similar subjects. Some painters, for example, depicted vegetables that did not grow at the same time of the year, may never have existed, or are not recognizable. Metsu chose to honour developments in contemporary Dutch horticulture with a realistic depiction rather than to resort to artistic license.(Image above right - Vegetable Market in Amsterdam, Gabriel Metsu, 1661-2 Oil on canvas, 97 x 81,3 cm, Mus�e du Louvre, Paris)

Another good example shows the range of carrots available in Holland in the mid 1500's - orange, white and purple varieties are clearly shown. - (Image below - A Market Scene by Pieter Aertsen,1569 (oil on panel; H 835 mm W 1,695 mm; located in Hallwyl Museum, Sweden) (close ups shown underneath)

Peter Aertsen Market Scene 1569. (source https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q18688351 (carrots in 3 locations - details below) Oil on panel, W 169.5cm H 83.5cm Hallwyl Museum, Stockholm

Extract from "Painting in the Dutch Golden Age A Profile of the Seventeenth Century National Gallery of Art , Washington

"On the Prinsengracht Canal, one of the angled rings of waterways that flow under bridges connecting the streets of central Amsterdam, the image of a vegetable market serves as a lesson on Dutch economic and social identity. Details of the scene include, left to right, two women haggling, probably over the price of the vegetables set on a wheelbarrow; a young matron holding a metal pail for fish; behind her, a man trying to attract her attention; and a basket of vegetables on the ground at right, beyond which a dog and a rooster seem at odds, just like the haggling women opposite. The scene seems to contain allusions beyond the quotidian. The vegetables, for example, may indicate Dutch national and local pride in horticultural innovation: intense cultivation and seasonal crop rotation had teased maximum production from the country�s sparse land.

The development of new crops such as the Hoorn carrot (in the cane basket on the ground), named after the town of Hoorn near Amsterdam, brought the Dutch international recognition through global seed trade. [The Hoorn carrot was cultivated around 1620 for its smooth taste, deep orange colour, and ability to grow in shallow earth or in mixtures of soil and manure.]

Carrots and other root vegetables, such as onions, turnips, parsnips, and beets, were prized in the first half of the seventeenth century not only because they kept over the long winter but also because they were considered plain and humble, in line with the Dutch value of moderation.

Indeed, one of the allegorical paintings commissioned for Amsterdam�s Town Hall depicted the preference of turnips over gold by a Roman general, connecting his simple integrity to the burgomasters of Amsterdam and their guardianship of Dutch humility."

For historical studies of crops, and for historical studies in general, the choice of sources determines the validity of the results. In this respect, the use of illustrations, particularly paintings, remains controversial. It is sometimes possible to determine indirectly whether a plant was depicted after consulting botanical or agricultural references by comparing illustrations in such texts with a particular painting. Preserved specimens, however, must have been used frequently, as is borne out by legacy statements and by the fact that fruits and vegetables characteristic of different seasons are often depicted in the same painting. The similar arrangement of various types of fruits and vegetables across paintings is a further indication of this, as in Joachim Beuckelaer's Woman Selling Vegetables, 1563 here.

Paintings may serve as important sources if dated by the painters themselves or if they can be reliably dated by other means. This is essential for research in historical studies of crops, as it may affect plant introduction dates. Knowledge of the particular region in which a painter lived and worked or travelled may also provide information about the choice of plants concerned.

They have been used as evidence (erroneously!) that the Dutch "invented" orange rooted carrots for the first time (rather than develop them). Metsu gave pride of place to the Horn carrot (the orange root in the cane basket) and the cauliflower, both of them expensive vegetables that Dutch growers had recently developed; they are contrasted with turnips and other staples of Dutch cooking. Horticulture was as potent a source of pride and livelihood in the Dutch Republic as livestock.

The Horn carrot was also depicted in Gerrit Dou's painting "The Quackoil" (or Quacksalver), 1652 - here. The carrots may be seen on the wheelbarrow to the left and in the basket on the ground to the right. His depiction of the Horn carrot, for example, reflected a recent Dutch horticultural innovation.

English writers such as John Parkinson and Samuel Hartlib described the introduction and substantial importation of Dutch vegetables to England. In his "Legacy of Husbandry", 1651, for example, Hartlib commented that cabbages, cauliflowers, turnips, carrots, parsnips, rape, and peas were "few or none in England but what came from Flanders Holland. Source: Art in History:History in Art, studies in 17th century Dutch culture, Issues and Debates edited by David Freedberg and Jan de Vries 1991

Earliest examples of the depiction of carrots in fine art works

(Note: Most of the paintings shown below have a larger, more detailed version which can be accessed by clicking on the appropriate picture. They are obviously larger files so will take a little time to download. Please be patient - they are worth it!)

An Allegory of summer (Lucas Van Valckenborch, Georg Flegel). 1595- Slovensk� n�rodn� gal�ria, SNG (Slovak National Gallery) oil on canvas H 119cm W 194cm
Vegetable Market (Lucas Van Valckenborch). 1535-97. Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria Carrot Details below

The Dutch Connection - There is no documentary evidence that the Dutch "invented" orange carrots to honour their Royal Family, the House of orange. A tale, probably apocryphal, has it that the orange carrot was bred in the Netherlands in the sixteenth century to honour William of Orange. Though the development and stabilisation of the orange carrot root does appear to date from around that period in the Netherlands, it is unlikely that honouring William of Orange had anything to do with it!

As far as The Carrot Museum is concerned the Dutch developed and stabilised the orange carrot, in the 16th century. Subsequently the Dutch people adopted the colour orange and orange carrots as their national vegetable. There is no written evidence that this was also to honour their Royal Family. The point is that the orange carrot came first, Dutch Nationalism second.

In many Dutch paintings of the period the support for the House of Orange is clearly expressed via a piece of cloth, for example you will see a ribbon around the male costume and/or an orange banner. It is also expressed via small bundles of orange (and other colours) carrots prominently displayed in the centre of paintings or more often in an obscure position, depending on the level of support for the House of Orange.

To this day, many in the Netherlands genuinely like to believe that orange carrots were originally grown specifically as a tribute to the House of Orange. No matter how many times it is repeated and passed on through the generations it still remains pure folklore!!

Also check out the Romantic Carrots of Greg Warren, mis-shapen carrots turned into works of art, and then eaten!

Last Supper, Stavronikita Monastery, Refectory, Fresco by Theophanes the Cretan, Cretan School, 1546. The Monastery is an Eastern Orthodox monastery at the monastic state of Mount Athos in Greece, dedicated to Saint Nicholas.It is recorded in the New Testament that the Last Supper was actually a Passover meal as celebrated by all Jewish people for thousands of years - of course Jesus and his disciples were Jewish.

The Passover celebration has changed little over the centuries. Still today, one important part of the evening is tasting "maror" or horseradish. The maror is one of three items emphasised by Rabbi Gamaliel in the First Century, so it is almost certain that there would have been horseradish at what today is called the Last Supper. It is therefore very likely that what look like carrots in the fresco are actually horseradish. Below, close up detail. Source.

	De Markt Van Rouw - c1590 (market scene) No further information available
Vegetable and Flower Market by Arnout de Muyser (detail right) Oil on canvas early 1600's. Naples, Museo Gallerie Nazionale di Capodimonte

Another early depiction of an orange carrot in works of art - Pieter Aertsen Christ in the Home of Mary and Martha 1553 (oil on panel, Height: 126 cm (49.6 in). Width: 200 cm (78.7 in, location Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam). detail below

This painting is one of the earliest depictions of an orange carrot in a work of art. Orange carrots probably originated in Southern Europe and recent genetic research has proved they were developed from yellow varieties. (Carrot Museum on the road to domestication is here)

Kitchen Still Life Pieter Aertsen ca 1551-53 Oil on panel, H 65.4cm;W 91.4cm Ball State University Museum of Art (United States - Muncie)

The Fat Kitchen An Allegory ca 1550 Pieter Aertsen; Statens Museum for Kunst - Copenhagen (Denmark)

Jesus Christ and the woman taken in adultery/Christ and the AdulteressPieter Aertsen - ca 1508�75) oil on canvas; Nationalmuseum (Stockholm)

Market Woman with Vegetable Stall 1567; Pieter Aertsen Oil on wood, 11 x 110 cm;

Stiftung preu�ischer Kulturbesitz, Staatliche Museen, Berlin

The Greengrocer by the Dutch painter Pieter Aertsen (1508�1575) (date of painting unknown, ca 1560)

Kitchen Scene with Christ at Emmaus Joachim Beuckelaer Dating c. 1560 - 1565 Oil on panel H 109.5cm W169cm. Mauritshuis Gallery The Hague, Holland.	Detail of orange carrots
Joachim Beuckler, Woman Selling Vegetables Oil on canvas, Rockox House, Antwerp 1567	Close up

Kitchen with Cook and Maid � Joachim Beuckelaer c 1560	Painting is marked - K�chenst�ck mit K�chin und K�chenmagd_(oil on canvas)_ Detail:

The Four Elements - Earth 1569-70 Joachim Beuckelaer	Still Life 1535-74 Joachim Beuckelaer
Close up	Close up

Joachim Beuckelaer, Vegetable Seller Oil on wood, Museum Mayer van den Bergh, Antwerp 1563?	Joachim Beuckelaer, Market Woman with Fruit, Vegetables and Poultry 1564 Oil on oak, 118 x 170,5 cm Staatliche Museen, Kassel
Close up	Close up

	Pieter Aertsen, Christ and the Adulteress 1559 Oil on wood, St�delsches Kunstinstitut, Frankfurt

Christ in the House of Mary and Martha Oil on canvas Galleria Estense, Modena CAMPI, Vincenzo (b. ca. 1530, Cremona, d. 1591, Cremona) Martha is the personification of the busy housekeeper, the active type, in contrast to her contemplative sister, Mary of Bethany. She took the initiative in fetching Christ to their house when their brother Lazarus died. She is the patroness of housewives.	Broker Vrou anonymous ca 1560 now located in Rijksmuseum

Studies of three carrots and a bulrush - 1550 (anonymous) Source British Museum - Date1550-1600 (circa) - Studies of three carrots and a bulrush; kept in the 1637 "D�rer" album (Inscribed with a false D�rer monogram) Watercolour and body colour, heightened with white. Materials: paper. Size: H 420mm W 263 mm British Museum Curator's comments: This drawing is by a German or Netherlandish artists, of the mid to late sixteenth century. Museum page here.
Kitchen Interior with the Parable of the Rich Man and the Poor Lazarus 1610	Detail (below) - Anonymous but attributed to Pieter Cornelisz van Rijck 1610 oil on canvas, h 198cm � w 272cm � d 7cm Rijskmuseum
Gerrit Dou "The Mousetrap " circa 1650. (Musee Fabre) oil on panel H47cm W36cm	Detail

Sebastian Vrancx Produce and flower Market (earth), ca 1630 (detail right)

Kitchen Scene Pieter Cornelisz. van Rijck , 1621 - oil on canvas; 103,2 x 137,5 cm. Frans Hals Museum	Detail

De groentewinkel 'De Buyskool', Jan Victors, 1654 (The Greengrocer) oil on canvas, h 91,5cm � b 110cm Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam	Close up detail of Greengrocer

Gerrit Dou (1613-1675) Young Mother Oil on canvas, 1658 Mauritshuis, The Hague	Gerrit Dou The Grocer's Shop 1647 Oil on wood, Mus�e du Louvre, Paris

Joachim Wtewael 1566-1638 The Kitchen Maid circa 1620-25 Utrecht Centraal Museum (detail below)	Joachim Wtewael 1566-1638 The Vegetable seller 1618 Utrecht Centraal Museum (detail below)

Adriaen van Utrecht (1599 - 1653) - Still life of artichoke, asparagus, green cabbage, onions, beans, carrots and other vegetables, all upon a wooden bench. 1641 oil on canvas, signed and dated lower left on the bench. H: 75.9 cm; W 119.4 cm. detail below	Adriaen van Utrecht - A barrel of mussels, a dogfish and other fish with turnips, carrots, a cabbage and a bucket with artichokes and asparagus on a ledge.Oil on canvas, around 1645.H: 90.7 cm; W 129.5 cm. detail below

	The Village Cook, or Woman Pouring Water 1640s Gerrit Dou Oil on wood, 36 x 27 cm Location :Musee du Louvre, Paris Detail of carrots (above)

A Cook (with Red Apron) - L�on Bonvin 1862 (Walters Art Museum - H53.98 � W41.28 � D3.33 cm) Watercolor, gouache, pen and iron gall ink heightened with gum varnish over graphite underdrawing on cream, moderately thick, moderately textured laid paper

In this scene, a cook wearing a vermilion apron is chopping a large cabbage. Commonplace vegetables are strewn in front of her, including turnips, leeks, celery roots, carrots, and lettuce. The model has been identified as the artist's wife, Constance F�licit� Gaudon, and the location as the family's small tavern.

	Detail

Quirin Gerritz van Brekelenkam c1640s - 1668Family seated round a kitchen fire (note: boy eats carrot and carrots on floor)	Levi Wells Prentice (1851-1935) Still Life with Cantaloupe, Tomatoes, and Carrots Oil on canvas 12 x 16 inches

Gerrit Dou (1613-1675)The Quack Oil on canvas, 1652 Oil on canvas, Museum Boymans-van Beuningen, Rotterdam (detail of carrots on right)
Hubert van Ravesteyn (Dutch, 1638�d. before 1691) A still life with cabbages, carrots, gherkins, fish on an earthenware plate, an earthenware pot and two baskets with artichokes and pears, all on a wooden table with a pear	Medium:oil on panel Size: 30.6 x 34.9 cm. (12 x 13.7 in.) Detail below
	A Monk with a Carrot and a Woman with a Chamber Pot Artist: Pier Leone Ghezzi (Italian, Comunanza near Ascoli Piceno 1674�1755 Rome) Medium: Pen and brown ink; Dimensions: 11 x 7 7/8 in. (28 x 20 cm) Credit Line: Robert Lehman Collection, 1975 (Source - Metmuseum NY - possibly parsnips based on leaf form)

Fran�ois Boucher 1703-70 - Boy Holding a Carrot 1738 pastel on buff laid paper,308 x 243 mm Art Institute Chicago	Jan van Kessel, Still-life with Vegetables Oil on canvas Civic Museum, Prato
Further information from the Art Institute Chicago Fran�ois Boucher, whose art epitomized the light-hearted sensuality of the Rococo style, was the most famous painter and decorator during the reign of Louis XV (r. 1715�74), and was championed by Madame de Pompadour, the king�s powerful mistress. Boucher seldom ventured from major paintings and decorative ensembles to do finished, independent works on paper. Nor did he pursue portraiture, apart from his depictions of royal patrons and members of his family. This engaging and fresh portrait of a boy, perhaps a studio apprentice, may well be one of Boucher�s first, and finest, forays into pastel drawing. With this adaptable and newly fashioned medium, Rococo artists were able to imbue their images with a spirited directness and sense of life. Here Boucher captured the dimple-cheeked lad just as he seems to turn, lips parted as if to speak. The youth�s attentive gaze, tousled hair, and delicately elegant city clothes herald the artist�s suave later manner as court painter. The same young model, again holding a carrot, appears in at least two paintings of pastoral subjects by Boucher. (below)

Pastorale: the Vegetable Vendor 1735	Kitchen maid and Young Boy 1735 Oil on canvas, private collection
	Details of each painting below.

Diego Rodriguez de Silva y Velazquez, Peasants at the Table (El Almuerzo) c. 1620 Oil on canvas, Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest	Frans Snyders, Vegetable Still-Life c. 1600 Oil on canvas, Staatliche Kunsthalle, Karlsruhe

There are more pages of Carrots in Fine Art works - Page 2, Page 3 & 17th century

The Miscellaneous Art Page includes other works of art. Van Gogh

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