Feast In The Park Of The Duke Of Mantua, or Fête dans le Jardin du Duc de Mantoue, is picnicky but not a feast. The curators of the Musée des Beaux-Arts probably assigned the title. It is a garden of lovers dining alfresco in an imaginary architectural setting. The...
Early in the 16th century, Dutch emblem books primers or handbooks for youthful aristocrats. Among the more socially and sexually suggestive of these books are The Garden of Love [Hortus Voluptatum] (1599) and New Mirror for Youth [Nieuwen ieucht spieghel] (1617),...
Passeri’s A Party Feasting in a Garden seems like a happy end to an alfresco luncheon. Young couples are deep in conversation, flirting, and courting, which suggests this is a garden of love. It is casual and innocent, though Passari is a moralist. Close examination...
