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Kitchen Scene, with Jesus in the House of Martha and Mary in the background

Unknown

1569

unspecified

From the collection of Rijksmuseum

Northern Renaissance Renaissance Genre Scene

Dominant colour

Kitchen Scene, with Jesus in the House of Martha and Mary in the background is a 1569 unspecified by Unknown, a Northern Renaissance work, held at Rijksmuseum.

Who painted this?: Unknown
When & what style?: 1569 · Northern Renaissance
Where can I see it?: Rijksmuseum

About this work

You see a busy kitchen: a maid holds a ham, vegetables spill from a basket, and dead birds and jugs crowd the table. In the tiny background, two women sit at Jesus’s feet—almost an afterthought. The trick is the size. The kitchen fills the frame, making the biblical scene feel like a distant memory. It’s as if the artist wanted to show daily life first, and faith second. To see how other painters played with hidden stories, visit the Rijksmuseum.