The Four Elements: Earth

An avalanche of outsize vegetables tumbles towards us on the left of this painting. On the right, glistening fruits are piled in baskets and bowls balanced rather precariously on a wheelbarrow.

The two women at the front, often called stallholders, appear to be buying rather than selling. Their rolled up sleeves and aprons show that they are servants. One has half-filled her shopping basket with apples, the other holds up a giant cabbage. The sellers are probably the couple on the right, who have brought their produce to the well in a wheelbarrow and are preparing it for sale.

This is one of a group of four large paintings where food is used to symbolise the four elements – water, air, earth and fire – with biblical scenes in the background. Here you can see the Flight into Egypt, with the holy family crossing a bridge on the left.

Text: © The National Gallery, London

Painting photographed in its frame by Google Arts & Culture, 2023.