A Feast for the Eyes

Evocative recipes and surprising tales inspired by paintings in the National Gallery

A total delight to the senses, this book is a combined visit to a magnificent art museum and host of historic kitchens. Gillian Riley takes us on a voyage of discovery of paintings from the Renaissance to the Impressionist period and introduces us to the gastronomic pleasures these works evoke. With an entertaining text, sumptuous pictures, and delicious recipes, the book provides a delectable feast — for the connoisseur of art and of food.

At work in their studios, artists from Crivelli to Cezanne have often expressed their appreciation for artistry in the kitchen. Incidental domestic details in religious paintings offer glimpses of housekeeping in sixteenth-century Macerata, or of table manners in Tiepolo’s Venice; the glowing lobster and fruit of a Dutch still life tell of pleasurable prosperity during the Netherlands’ Golden Age; and Cezanne’s passionate rendering of fruit and crockery are reminders of the splendors of Provencale cuisine.

Riley’s extensive browsing among contemporary books and manuscripts has uncovered recipes to complement the style and flavor of each of the London National Gallery artworks in this volume. She offers wild duck with wine and prunes from a Renaissance banquet, apostolic broth from Caravaggio’s Rome, strawberry salad suggested by a Dutch still life, and the Madame Manet-inspired raspberry bavarois. Each dish is adapted for the convenience of the modern cook and promises to stir the senses with tastes and aromas that will call to mind the painting that inspired it.