Cook in the kitchen

The painting is among the oldest at the Royal Site of Carditello, where in 1792 it was used to decorate the Game Room. With the decommissioning of the Site, the painting was ascribed to the heritage of the Royal Palace of Caserta.

The work, attributed to Giacomo Nani, depicts a cook dealing with the preparation of lunch, in the company of a cat: chicken, red meat and colonnaded lard can be recognised.

The man portrayed recalls the figure of Vincenzo Corrado from Brindisi, an active cook at the court of Prince Don Michele Imperiali di Francavilla, senior butler to Queen Maria Carolina.

In 1773, Corrado published The Gallant Cook, a manual of haute cuisine requested by courts around the world. His elegant banquets were offered at Cellammare Palace in Naples, famous for having hosted Caravaggio, Giacomo Casanova, Angelica Kauffmann, Goethe, and Hackert.

Having delighted the palates of illustrious international personalities, the cook also obtained rave reviews from Lazzaro Spallanzani, who read about him in 1883.