Skip to main content

"Meet the Italian ‘Fruit Detective’ Who Investigates Centuries-Old Paintings for Clues About Produce That Has Disappeared From the Kitchen Table."

Renaissance paintings, medieval archives, cloistered orchards—how one Italian scientist is uncovering secrets that could help combat a growing agricultural crisis.

smithsonianmag.com/arts-cultur…

#Culture #Art #ArtHistory #Renaissance #Fruit #Agriculture #Science

The Museum of Still Life in the Villa of the Medici in Prato offers colorful depictions of 17th-century Italian fruit, including these pears rendered by Bartolomeo Bimbi. Alinari Archives, Florence / Bridgeman Images. A richly detailed still-life painting showing an elaborate display of various types of fruits, artfully arranged in baskets and bowls across a table. The fruits include what seem like pears, apples, and cherries, all in vibrant, natural colors. The background features architectural elements, such as columns, a blue sky, and parts of classical statues, giving the setting a grand, almost palatial feel. Below the fruits, there is a scroll with text that seems to list types or varieties of fruits, perhaps by month or season.

Meet the Italian 'Fruit Detective' Who Investigates Centuries-Old Paintings for Clues About Produce That Has Disappeared From the Kitchen Table

Mark Schapiro (Smithsonian Magazine)
#art #science #culture #arthistory #fruit #agriculture #renaissance
⇧