Kitchen Scene – Atkinson 1771

John Atkinson, active 1770-1775    from Yale Center for British Art

I wish this artist has done more work.   I look at this painting and my eyes just don’t know where to stop, there are so many things of which to make note.  Isn’t this a kitchen we all wish we had tucked away behind our real house.   I was caught by his tied shoes and his breeches being tied at the knee, also his lack of neck-wear.  Is that a greatcoat that he wore to work this morning hanging on the wall behind him?  I like the elevated cook surface that we can see in the background by the large open hearth.  And don’t forget the kitchen cat!

Detail: Produce, onions, lettuce, carrots, washtub, pitcher,  chair, ladle, bench, cat, brass kettle, basket, fowl, rabbit, case bottle, wall nook, great coat, bird cage, glass bottle, meat, S-hooks, pottle basket,milk pans, bowls, spit rack, tankard, candle box, hearth, crane, stool, table, cloth cap, sleeved waistcoat, apron, breeches, shoes, cat.