cover - Blue Liguria - Sagep

Abramo convita i tre angeli di
Guidobono, Palazzo Rosso. Sopra,
La Cuoca dello Strozzi, e (nell’altra
pagina) Giovane presso una tavola
con cibi e Natura morta di Jan Ross
Guidobono’s Abramo convita
i tre angeli, Palazzo Rosso.
Strozzi’s The Cook (above). Other
page Natura morta and Giovane
presso una tavola con cibi
by Jan Ross
© Musei di Strada Nuova - Palazzo Rosso
extends to the guests a thigh
decorated with slices of lemon. In
addition to the menu listed in
sacred texts, the eating habits of
the 1600s peek out: there are of
objects of local tradition, like the
white and blue ceramic pitcher
and plates, and food types like
the focaccette of the Val di
Magra, which show Fiasella’s
Sarzana origins. Bartolomeo
Guidobono’s version dates to the
end of the 1600s. He spreads out
a white tablecloth, as in a picnic
on the grass, and a platter of
silver bears a roast decorated with
lemon slices, a golden loaf of
bread, an elegant bowl of crystal,
and at the feet of the two angels,
lies a still life of fruit and
artichokes. Abraham brings more
food in two other dishes,
following the custom among the
upper classes of the time. Jan
Ross also proposes typical local
traditional dishes in his Youth by
a Spread Table. His table is rich, as
seen by the delicacies he depicts,
like the big red live lobster, that
genovese e della sua classe dominante,
nasconderebbe dunque un
monito contro le tentazioni della
ricchezza e un invito a rammentare
il messaggio cristiano.
Oltre alle opere delle collezioni genovesi,
si segnalano altre raccolte
in cui sono presenti dipinti legati ai
prodotti alimentari: la Pinacoteca
di Palazzo Rocca a Chiavari; il
Museo Lia di La Spezia e la Pinacoteca
Rambaldi di Coldirodi-
Sanremo, che hanno sezioni dedicate
alla natura morta; la Galleria
Rizzi di Sestri Levante dove è conservata
la Cuoca di Vincenzo Campi,
esempio di quel naturalismo
lombardo che, insieme ai fiamminghi,
contribuì alla formazione di
questo tipo di scene di genere. Anche
Felice Boselli, artista piacentino
attivo tra Sei e Settecento, specialista
di questi generi di pittura,è
qui presente con alcune nature
morte con pesci e crostacei dai colori
lividi, interpretati con crudo
realismo, e dalla Bottega di macellaio,
con carni esibite in tutta la loro
fisicità.
© Musei di Strada Nuova - Palazzo Rosso
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immediately catches the eye, or
the artichokes, which at the time
were an expensive food. In
addition to bread and olives, some
small salty pies are visible – a
recurring theme in Liguria cuisine
– perhaps a pie filled with greens
like those still made in Liguria
today, or pasties of meat or fish.
The subject has also been
interpreted as an allegory to
vanitas, for the instability of the
objects depicted, from the dishes
to the knives, and also due to the
presence of roses, the ephemeral
flower par excellence. The lobster,
it must be said, comes from the
Nordic world from which the
artist himself came, and is a
symbol of resurrection because of
its habit of changing it carapace
at the end of the winter. The
abundance on the table, in
addition to showing the opulence
of Genoese society and of its
ruling class, also hides an
admonition against the
temptations of riches and an
invitation to remember the
Christian message.In addition to
the works present in the Genoese
collections, there are others at the
Art Gallery of
Palazzo Rocca in Chiavari,
Museo Lia in La Spezia, and at
the Pinacoteca Rambaldi in
Coldirodi-Sanremo, which have
sections dedicated to still life
paintings. The Galleria Rizzi in
Sestri Levante holds La Cuoca by
Vincenzo Campi, an example of
Lombard naturalism which,
together with the Flemish,
contributed to the formation of
scenes of this type.
Paintings by Felice Boselli of
Piacenza, active between the late
1600s and early 1700s, who
specialized in still lifes can also be
seen here.
There are fish and crustaceans in
bright colors, interpreted with
crude realism, and the Butcher
Shop, with meat realistically
depicted.
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