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This large and well-stocked kitchen is a hive of industry. Four female servants prepare and cook food while a young man perches on a stool before the fire, swigging from an earthenware jug. Pots and pans litter the brick floor and every available surface seems stacked with produce. This is one of four large paintings in which food is used to symbolise the four elements of earth, air, fire and water, with biblical scenes in the background. Here, in the back room, is Christ in the house of Martha and Mary. When Martha complained of her sister’s laziness in leaving her to do all the work, Christ replied that Mary had chosen better by sitting at his feet and listening to him. Beuckelaer often put his signature in half-hidden places; here, it is on the edge of the sideboard.
Title
The Four Elements: Fire. A Kitchen Scene with Christ in the House of Martha and Mary in the Background
Date
1570
Medium
Oil on canvas
Measurements
H 157.5 x W 215.5 cm
Accession number
NG6588
Acquisition method
Bought, 2001
Work type
Painting
The National Gallery, London
Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England
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