Kitchen interior with turkeys, bucket of asparagus and cat

Although dating back to the first half of the 18th century, when the Royal Site of Carditello did not yet exist, the work suggests a corner of the Royal Kitchens and can rightly be considered one of the most beautiful canvases in the Carditello Picture Gallery.

It is probably for this reason that Hackert included it in the first display of 1792, in the Game Room, where it remained until the Royal Site was decommissioned.

In 1946 the canvas was lent to the Prefecture of Caserta and, at the same time, recorded in the post-war Caserta inventories.

Although it was attributed by Annamaria Romano to Giacomo Nani in 1992, it is more plausible that it is a painting by Baldassare De Caro, given the darker tones and greater vividness.

The depiction includes, in the foreground, a turkey with black plumage, while in the background is a chicken guarded by a cat with an attentive gaze – of great naturalism. On the right are a mortar with pestle and a copper bowl: the latter holds a bunch of wild asparagus, versatile ingredients for numerous recipes proposed by the cook Vincenzo Corrado.