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A plethora of piscine produce is presented to us: fish of all kinds are piled in baskets, tumble over the edges of platters or slip from the stallholder’s grasp – there are even mussel shells scattered on the floor. The two vendors ignore their prospective clients and look directly at us, as if asking us to buy. This is one of four large pictures in the National Gallery’s collection in which the four elements – earth, air, fire and water – are represented as food. Although it looks like a contemporary scene, something else is going on too. Through the arch in the middle you can see a ship with fishermen hauling in their nets. One man wades through the water towards a figure on the shore. This is the miraculous draught of fishes, when Christ, risen from the dead, appeared to his apostles and told them to cast their nets on the other side of the boat.
Title
The Four Elements: Water. A Fish Market with the Miraculous Draught of Fishes in the Background
Date
1569
Medium
Oil on canvas
Measurements
H 158.5 x W 215 cm
Accession number
NG6586
Acquisition method
Bought, 2001
Work type
Painting
The National Gallery, London
Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England
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