the strawberry, a fruit in Christian iconography, an allusion to seduction, love, an ephemeral and fragile fruit …

2. Strawberries
in European painting

3. Its red color recalls the blood and therefore the passion of Christ,
the tripartite leaves allude to the Trinity,
the small white flowers are interpreted as the image of innocence and humility, a reference
to the Virgin Mary.

4. the strawberry, a fruit in Christian iconography …

5. The donor, kneeling, in prayer posture,
Mary simply seated, as Virgin of humility
and
birds, roses in bloom,
a green carpet of violets, lilies of the valley, spring snowflakes
and
strawberries
(The insistent presence of strawberries, which in the Middle Ages were believed to feed
the souls of deceased children, it could suggest that this impressively serene painting
was an ex-voto in memory of a child or teenager truncated by death).
Upper Rhenish Master, Maître du Haut Rhin (Le Maître du Jardin de Paradis)
Madonna of the Strawberries
La Madone aux fraisiers ou La Vierge à l'Enfant aux fraises
c. 1420
Kunstmuseum Solothurn, Soleure

9. The dual imagery of the strawberry,
its association with the Virgin and saints
and at the same with sin and temptations
The strawberry is there next to angel …
but lurking just below it is a devil:
the Satan-monkey, squatting, at St Michael's feet, while St George's dragon,
not at all awe-inspiring, seems to be basking in the sun,
turning his belly upwards.
Upper Rhenish Master, Maître du Haut Rhin (Le Maître du Jardin du Paradis)
The Garden of Paradise
Jardin du paradis
1410-1420
Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main

13. Musical angels with their songs and instruments,
saints with their halos,
the Dominican tertiary Saint Catherine of Siena kneeling,
the Christ Child places a golden ring, symbol of spiritual union,
the Virgin Mary sits on a marble throne,
in the grass at his feet, flowers
and
on his cloak, strawberries
Lorenzo d'Alessandro da Sanseverino
The Marriage of Saint Catherine of Siena
Le mariage de sainte Catherine de Sienne
1481-1500
The National Gallery, London

17. An almost magical serenity,
a mystical atmosphere
The scene is filled with Christian symbolism:
the birds in the tree represents Christ’s sacrificial death and resurrection,
the apple recalls Original Sin
and
the strawberry is a food of the blessed, the white flower represents innocence,
its three petals the Trinity
Hans Baldung Grien
Rest on the Flight to Egypt
Repos pendant la fuite en Égypte
1515
Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Nuremberg

21. A mountainous landscape as dawn is breaking,
a large fortress on top of a hill
Saint Elizabeth, the mother of John,
Virgin Mary,
the Christ Child grasps the reed cross, which foreshadows the Crucifixion
and
infant Saint John the Baptist, offering to the Child a bunch of wild strawberries,
a reference to the blood spilled during the Passion
Agnolo Bronzino
Virgin and Child with Saint Elizabeth and Saint John the Baptist
Vierge à l'Enfant avec Sainte Elisabeth et Saint Jean Baptiste
1540-1545
J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles

24. An obelisk and some classical buildings that evoke a Roman landscape,
three angels,
the Virgin,
the child Jesus
and
Saint Joseph, who offers him some strawberries, the symbol
of his human incarnation
Francesco Mancini
Rest during the Flight to Egypt
Repos pendant la fuite en Égypte
1720
Pinacoteca, Vatican

27. The sleeping child
is surrounded by fauna and flora,
laden with Christian symbolism …
The butterfly alludes to the Resurrection,
the goldfinch to the Passion, the pair of turtle doves to purity,
and the swallow to the Incarnation
The rose bushes allude to martyrdom, violets to humility,
several stalks of wheat to the human nature of Christ,
some daisies to his innocence
and
strawberry plants to perfect righteousness
Andreas Müller
The Christ Child
L'Enfant Jésus
1849
Walters Art Museum, Baltimore

31. More racy view of the strawberry probably comes from its association
with sin and temptation ...
In this scene, the strawberry, as a plant, it creeps low on the ground
traits it shares with the serpent in the Garden of Eden.
Master Bertram
The Grabow Altarpiece, scene Fall of Man, detail God the Father's Speech
Retable de Grabow, scène Chute de l'homme, détail, Parole de punition de Dieu le
Père
1379-1383
Hamburger Kunsthalle, Hamburg

33. The meeting of the two saints, the Virgin Mary and St. Elizabeth,
an poetic intimacy,
an idyllic landscape …
but
this idyll, however, is just an illusion …
the bare rocks, twisted trees,
beautiful and delicate flowers - iris, peony, strawberries
are subtle symbols of the Passion
Master MS
The Visitation
La Visitation
1506
Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest

36. But the strawberry didn’t just appeal to the Virgin Mary and the saints,
there are alternative interpretations ...

37. the strawberry, an allusion to seduction, love …

38. Flora, the Roman goddess of spring and flowers,
specially the may flowers
and …
Botticelli adorns the goddess's hair with cornflowers, violets
and
wild strawberries ...
Sandro Botticelli
Primavera
Le Printemps
1478-1482
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

42. the strawberry seen as a sensual and erotic fruit ...

43. It was described as “The strawberry painting” in the 17th century …
people pick apples off a tree while a man offers a woman a strawberry,
man with strawberry on his back,
near the water's edge, an even more imposing specimen of the same
fruit reposes on a circle of semi-reclining male nudes,
a man gnaws almost lustfully at a giant strawberry, his arm is gripped
around it possessively: “This is my strawberry, don’t bother me!”
Hieronymus Bosch, Jérôme Bosch
The Garden of Earthly Delights, Center panel
Le Jardin des délices, Panneau central
1490-1500
Museo del Prado, Madrid

53. the strawberry, an ephemeral and fragile fruit …

54. A Dragon-fly, two Moths, a Spider, some Beetles,
with
Wild Strawberries
Jan van Kessel the Elder
A Dragon-fly, two Moths, a Spider and some Beetles, with wild Strawberries
Une libellule, deux papillons de nuit, une araignée et quelques coléoptères,
avec des fraises des bois
1650
Ashmolean Museum, Oxford

57. Painted with great care ...
a white tablecloth,
a butter knife and a teaspoon sticking out from the jar of sugar,
a lemon
and
the strawberries
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Fraises
Strawberries
1905
Collection Jean Walter et Paul Guillaume, Musée de l'Orangerie, Paris

60. A sunny garden …
a red and white checkered tablecloth,
a porcelain teapot and coffeepot,
a small jug of milk,
a plate of cherries
and
a plate of strawberries.
( ... the cherries were more successful than the strawberries ?)
Pierre Bonnard
Les Fraises
The Strawberries
1910
Collection privée

63. The moving beauty of this little basket
full of life, movement and color ...
strawberries picked in the garden
of Manet's house in Rueil
Edouard Manet
Fraises
Strawberries
1882
Metropolitan Museum of Art,, New York City

66. A basket of strawberries
and
a crystal glass half full of water in which shimmer the vermilion reflections
of a beautiful peach placed near two white carnations and a few cherries ...
Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin
Le Panier de fraises des bois
The Basket of Wild Strawberries
1761
Collection privée
Trésor national, National treasure of France (2022)

69. o.esqsegues@gmail.com
Strawberries in European painting
Les fraises dans la peinture européenne
images and text credit www.
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