Butcher's Stall (by Pieter Aertsen) Metal Tree Decoration

This design features a painting by the Netherlandish artist Pieter Aertsen (1508–1575). It depicts a peasant market scene, with a great abundance of fresh foods: there are meats, ham, lard, smoked fish, pigs' legs and head, bread, butter, milk, cheese and hanging pretzels. The various meats, including sausages, beef, fish, fowl and pork, are arranged on wooden tables, using baskets, pots and plates. A barrel and some wickerwork chairs also serve as containers for the various items of food. It is a masterful still-life painting. In the background, there is a scene from the biblical theme of the flight into Egypt, where the Virgin Mary is seen stopped on the road, giving alms to the poor. The abundance and richness of the food in the stall is possibly a satire on gluttony. The original painting was completed in 1551, and it is now housed in the North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA.