Gerrit Dou, The Fritter Seller

I have selected The Fritter Seller by Gerrit Dou (1613–1675) as my selection for my close reading this week. This painting depicts two children buying apple fritters with a dog in the foreground next to a barrel of some sort of liquid (perhaps wine or beer). This Fritter seller appears have settled a street stand perhaps outside what appears to perhaps be her home ( with the husband looking over the business from the doorway). One can see the selection of small golden apples in a woven basket in the background next to a display of apple fritters. Interestingly, apple fritters are one of those foods which can be traced back to the Romans, who introduced the recipe to Europe as their influence and power spread. This makes sense as this painting was known to acquired by Cosimo III de' Medici during his trip to the Netherlands in 1667 as it rested in the Pitti Palace prior to being placed in the Uffizi Gallery. This begins to mark the dawn of a new time, the Renaissance just through the depiction of this specific food item in the public sphere. Reason being, in medieval times, fritters were considered dangerous to consume and indigestible, but they remained on the menu, often as part of the last course of a meal. However, because of their supposed dangerous nature, it was recommended to eat fritter only while hot. As the child purchasing the fritter is carrying a book, it can be argued that this is no longer a food of last resort since a child who literate must not be a peasant. Furthermore, the smile and well dressed fashion of the children better encaptures the fact that new ideals and customs are taking place within this time period. If you can tell by the difference in brightness from the left and right side of the image, it can capture the transition out of the dimmed paintings prominent to the Dark Ages to the brighter use of colors and light (as shown on the side with the children) encompassing the birth of a new generation in not only in art, but way of life (the Renaissance).