Kitchen

The State Hermitage can boast one of the world's finest collections of works by the famous Flemish painter David Teniers the Younger. Over 40 paintings from the time when the artist was at his peak demonstrate the main facets of his oeuvre and reveal the distinctive nature of his style. In this monumental canvas David Teniers the Younger presented himself in the dress of a falconer (left). In what is at first sight a pure piece of genre painting, the artist wove an allegory of the Four Elements. The figure of the falconer and his bird represent Air. In order to bring out the meaning of this figure that belongs very much to genre painting in terms of its character, Teniers has placed it beneath a window through which air and light stream. Fire is symbolized by the brazier on the table, the firebox of the stove and the cook and his assistants, who are depicted alongside. Water is represented by the fishermen (centre and right) with fish and other marine life. In Teniers's interpretation of the Four Elements, the figure of the falconer performs a sort of dual role. Besides Air, he also stands for the element of Earth, since the falconer is also a huntsman: he is depicted surrounded by dogs and dead game, while all manner of fruits of the earth (cabbage, apples, and so on) lie at his feet.