The Significance of Sustenance: Food in Art History

Among the many recurring themes in art history, food stands out as one of the most enduring and evocative. Its deep connection to human culture – representing sustenance, celebration, and symbolism – has inspired countless artists across generations and media. Join our table as we explore some of the history of food in art. We’ll examine the evolving meaning of food as we feast our eyes on the most delicious examples of food in art we can find. 

The Los Mosaic. Public Domain Image.

Food Art in Antiquity

Depictions of food were abundant across the ancient world and held symbolic meaning that transcended their visual appeal. In ancient Egypt, food-based representations, like those found in tomb reliefs, were often linked to beliefs about the ka, or life force, needing sustenance in the afterlife. An example is the Stela of Steward Mentuwoser (ca. 1944 BCE), where an opulent tabletop brimming with delicacies symbolizes not just a funerary banquet but the sustenance required for the journey beyond death.

Depictions of food were once plentiful across the ancient world. In addition to their aesthetic allure, many food-based representations were tied to symbolic substance. For example, the ancient Egyptians sometimes depicted various delicacies in votive and tomb reliefs to symbolize tasty treats that would sustain the tomb’s deceased inhabitant in the afterlife. Such can be seen in the Stela of Steward Mentuwoser (ca. 1944 BCE), where a tabletop placed in front of the revered official teems with delicacies to symbolize both his funerary banquet and his nourishment after death.  

Meanwhile, ancient Romans included such still-life images of food-filled trays or banqueting scenes, like that depicted in a mosaic at the Sanctuary of Palestrina (c. 80 BCE), as a reminder of either the elevated status of an individual or as a signifier of the abundance of one’s household. At times, these themes were intertwined with more complex narratives. Such can be seen in the Lod Mosaic (300 CE), for example, discovered near Tel Aviv that illustrates an array of animals blurring the connotations of predator and prey with potential dining delights. Other examples of such banquets that can be traced to China reveal some extent of the revelry that must have ensued at these gatherings. A cast brick from the Han Dynasty (25-220 CE), for example, offers a splendid showcase of the entertainment that must have dazzled those dining. 

The Medieval Menu: Symbolic Spirituality Through Food

Food in art continued to carry symbolic freight into the Middle Ages as its visual meaning expanded. In Western Europe, these medieval morsels became increasingly linked to Christian symbolism. One of the most popular examples is bread, which connects to both the symbolic act of the Eucharistic Communion and Christ’s reported miracles. Some of this symbolism was seen as early as the 3rd century, when frescoes like those in the Catacombs of Callixtus revealed a likeness of Christ multiplying bread and fish to serve a sea of his followers. 

A 3rd-century fresco in the Catacomb of Callixtus. Public Domain Image.

As such symbols grew in step with the rise of Christianity, even the vehicles for the Eucharistic celebration bore food references. For instance, a 13th-century German chalice was emblazoned with intertwined, scrolling foliage reminiscent of grape vines to allude to the vessel’s role in holding the symbolic blood of Christ. These significant elements also carried over into the imagery of popular religious narratives, like the Last Supper, the meal at which the act of Communion was initiated and where Christ foretold his betrayal. Medieval images of this event, often captured in sumptuous detail in the form of illuminated manuscripts – as seen in this 13th-century British royal psalter page –  typically included similar motifs of both bread and fish.  

Page from the calendar of the Très Riches Heures showing the household of John, Duke of Berry exchanging New Year gifts. Public Domain Image.

Beyond such religious readings, food also continued to be a vehicle to showcase wealth and status. Compositions of elaborate banquets and parties, like that showcased on the January calendar page of the famed illuminated manuscript known as the Very Rich Hours of the Duke of Berry (1412-1416), frequently featured tables overflowing with various dishes to visually remind the reader of the strength and status of the noble classes. This trend carried beyond Europe as well. Surviving scroll paintings from China’s Song Dynasty (960-1279) reveal equally sumptuous banquet scenes often set in elaborate and expansive landscapes.  

Renaissance and Baroque Restaurateurs: Symbolic Still-Lifes

Depictions of food in art skyrocketed in popularity as the Renaissance era took hold. Older meanings were still upheld – as one example, Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper (1495-1498) innovated in many ways but still upheld the conventional symbol of Christ and his loaves of bread. At the same time, though, there was an ever-expanding array of symbolic meanings that food could hold.

Fruit bore particular visual power as a symbol of fertility or prosperity. For example, the oranges that appear on the windowsill in the background of Jan van Eyck’s Arnolfini Portrait (1434) have been read by scholars as symbolizing both bounty and status. A similar fecundity was suggested in religious paintings as well. As one instance, Raphael’s preparatory drawing of the Madonna of the Pomegranate (c. 1504) incorporated the namesake fruit nestled between the palm of the Madonna and Christ child; with this placement, the pomegranate nodded to abundance but also to resurrection in the notion that the fruit returns each season. Food also took center stage in scenes of revelry. A prime example is that of Pieter Bruegel the Elder’s Battle Between Carnival and Lent (1559). Characteristic of Bruegel’s genre paintings that were often overwhelmed with figures and action, this composition depicts a bustling Netherlandish city center. In the foreground a gluttonous personification of Carnival appears at left – perched atop a beer cask and followed by a purveyor of indulgent waffles – as he faces off against the right-hand figure of Lenten repentance (who is afforded only meager herring as well as a bread and mussels that sit on the base of her cart). 

Raphael – Madonna of the Pomegranate, c. 1504. Public Domain Image.

It was during this same period in Northern Europe that the field of still-life painting developed and proved a prime space to further investigate food in art. Artists thrived in this field, conjuring massive compositions that showcased a panoply of goods. From Joachim Beuckelaer’s Fish Market (1568) that captures in rather graphic detail a busy fishmonger’s stall with a day’s fresh catch to Willem Claesz Heda’s paintings like Still-Life with Oysters, a Silver Tazza, and Glassware (1635) and Jan Davidsz de Heem’s Still-Life: A Banqueting Scene (1640-1641) that incorporated a rich table setting tableaus, artists across the Renaissance and Baroque eras understood the value of preserving a magnificent meal for all time. 

Modern Meals: 18th- and 20th- Century Innovations in Food in Art 

From Paolo Veronese’s elaborate 18th-century banqueting scenes like The Banquet of Cleopatra (1743-1744) to Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin’s striking still-lifes such as The Brioche (1763), the 18th century saw many of the same themes for food in art as were witnessed in the previous centuries. By the 19th century, however, artists began to incorporate food in ways that responded to concurrent new trends in painting. Impressionist painter Claude Monet, for example, conjured a marvelous repast in Luncheon on the Grass (1865-1866), which featured some of his close friends enjoying a beautiful parkside picnic lunch. Captured with a quintessential Impressionist freshness, this al fresco dining scene spoke to the celebration of spontaneity and atmosphere so celebrated in late 19th-century painting. 

In the century following, Pop artist Andy Warhol turned the art world on its head with his cutting-edge and at times controversial treatment of contemporary culture. Food did not escape his critique. One of his most iconic creations to that end was his Campbell’s Soup Cans (1961-1962), which comprised a series of compositions focused on the iconic soup brand label. A commentary on consumer culture and the blurred lines between advertising art and the art of the museum, Warhol’s series elevated art to a new artistic plane in which it became a means to question aspects of contemporary culture. Similarly, Wayne Thiebaud also used food to examine contemporary culture in paintings like Candy Counter (1969) and Dessert Table that rendered these foodstuffs with an almost clinical precision.

Giambattista Tiepolo – The Banquet of Cleopatra. Public Domain Image.

This notion of food in art as a source of cultural critique expanded significantly in recent decades as artists used food imagery to point to injustices ranging from colonialism and slavery to political oppression. British artist Yinka Shonibare’s Part Time-Re-Imagine America (2009-2010) is a sculptural tableau of a banquet captured with 18th-century Rococo excess, where his use of Dutch wax print fabrics in place of silk to make their costumes to remind the viewer of the exploitation of other cultures that allowed for such indulgences. Around the same time, Chinese activist artist Ai Weiwei conceived of his Sunflower Seeds (2010) an installation at London’s Tate Modern comprising a million hand-painted porcelain sunflower seeds as  commentary on the practices of Communist China and the subjugation of the Chinese workforce. Meanwhile, African-American artist Kara Walker’s A Subtlety, or the Marvelous Sugar Baby (2014) was a colossal sugar sculpture installed in Brooklyn’s former Domino Sugar factory that depicted a sphinx-like form bearing the stereotyped features of an African woman. Drawing from a history of the sugar industry that relied heavily on slavery, Walker’s powerful rendition offered a new valence to the use of food in art.  

Andy Warhol – Campbell’s Soup II (Set of Ten). Sold for $380,000 USD via Abell Auction (March 2024).

A Feast for the Senses

On the surface, food in art provides a series of tantalizing sensations. Probing deeper, though, uncovers the rich network of profound implications and meanings that this edible fare relays. Food has played a significant role in art since the earliest eras of human culture, and its integral importance to our survival means it should continue to do so for generations more. So, the next time you encounter a visual feast of food in art, take a moment to savor the experience and the historical connections therein. 

Alexis Culotta

Alexis holds a PhD in art history and has enjoyed professional roles across gallery, museum, and academic settings. Thanks to these myriad experiences, Alexis holds a wealth of knowledge across the fields of fine and decorative arts and enjoys every opportunity to share these insights along with the stories of these makers and objects with Invaluable collectors.

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