A Meat Stall with the Holy Family Giving Alms

A Meat Stall with the Holy Family Giving Alms
ArtistPieter Aertsen
Year1551
MediumOil on panel[1][2]
Dimensions115.6 cm × 165 cm (3' 10"  × 5' 5" )
LocationNorth Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, North Carolina, US

A Meat Stall with the Holy Family Giving Alms is a painting by the Dutch artist Pieter Aertsen (1508–1575).[3] It was completed in 1551.[4] A large painting, it depicts a peasant market scene, with an abundance of meats[5] and other foods. In the background, it shows a scene from the biblical theme of the flight into Egypt,[6] where the Virgin Mary is seen stopped on the road, giving alms to the poor.[3] Thus, although the painting seems to be at first sight an ordinary still life concentrating on foodstuffs, it is rich with symbolism; it in fact hides a symbolic religious meaning, and embodies a visual metaphor encouraging spiritual life. Aertsen made a name for himself during the 1550s painting scenes from everyday life in a naturalistic manner.[7][4]

  1. ^ "Pieter Aertsen, Meat Stall". Khan Academy. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Krohn Levy 2015 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference USF was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b "A Meat Stall with the Holy Family Giving Alms". North Carolina Museum of Art. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Eisenman 2013 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cornel Zwierlein (2016). The Dark Side of Knowledge: Histories of Ignorance, 1400 to 1800. BRILL. p. 185. ISBN 9789004325180.
  7. ^ "Butcher's Stall with the Flight into Egypt". Webmuseum, Paris. Retrieved 9 September 2016.