The Well-stocked Kitchen, with Jesus in het House of Martha and Mary in the Background
Joachim Bueckelaer
1566
The central theme of this painting is not the profuse display of vegetables, fruit, meat, poultry and pots and pans on offer by these kitchen maids. Instead it is Christ’s visit to Mary and Martha, which is depicted inconspicuously in the background. The contrast between the foreground and the background conceals the message of the painting: do not give in to earthly temptations.
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam · Image: Rijksmuseum, Public domain · Text: Rijksmuseum, CC0