Pickled Radish Pods and the Archduchess of Austria‘Silver tureen and stand. Ignaz Joseph Würth. 1779
Pickled Radish Pods and the Archduchess of Austria‘Silver tureen and stand. Ignaz Joseph Würth. 1779-1782. (photo Met Museum) Made for for Duke Albert Casimir of Sachsen-Teschen (1738-1822) and his consort, Archduchess Maria Christina of Austria (1742-1798), daughter of Empress Maria Theresa.It has a lid heavily ornamented with a finial in the form of a plant with small pods looking rather like peas, but the leaves are not those of a member of the pea family. It is the rat tailed radish (Raphanus sativus), a form of radish cultivated not only for its roots, but for its delicious pods, which are marvellous eaten fresh, or pickled. They were once a common vegetable grown all over Europe and are making a bit of a comeback.Another mystery about this object was its gilt lining, which can be seen clearly in the photo below. The probable explanation for this, was that this small tureen was actually designed for serving pickled radish pods. The vinegar in the pickle would chemically attack silver, but not neutral gold, so the Archduchess’s pickled radish pods would be untainted! This a nice example of how food history studies can inform decorative arts scholars about the forgotten purpose of an item of table equipage.’- Ivan Dayrecipe from John Farley’s The London Art of Cookery. London: 1789.via: Ivan Day’s Food History Jottings -- source link
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