The 16th century cook and his attire

Everything started with me searching different depictions of the female apron during the 16^th century. And it ended up with me finding a lot of depictions of 16^th century male cooks. Why not collect these, I realized.

On these depictions we see that there is a fashionable difference between an apron for a male or a female. The male apron seem to be extremely simple – just a squared piece of linnen fastened with a knot, and quite short.

I also would like you to note that quite a few of the depictions of our culinary artists portray them with fashionable clothes – it is slashed and well fitting, many with the hypermodern “kuhmaulschuhe”, the cow mouth shoe. I would like to point out that these cooks are most probably some sort of court cooks, or working for lords with a more lavish taste in food.

Also we see quite a few not only stylish, but also hygienic, hair nets and hair gears on our male chefs.

The Cook and His Wife Albrecht Dürer (German, Nuremberg 1471–1528 Nuremberg)

German Cookbook “Kuchenmeistery”, 1485

German Cookbook “Kuchenmeistery”, 1485

“Das Buch Granatapfel im Latin Genant Malogranatus”, 1510, Hans Burgkmair I.

“Der Weisskunig” (The White King Learning to Conduct a Kitchen), 1514-1516, Burgkmair d. Ä.

From a german manuscript namned “Frau untreue” (Untrue woman). Artist unknown. Made first half of 16th century.

“Die Hausbucher der Nurnberger Zwolfbruderstiftungen”, 1527

Unknown artist and date

“Zeltlager Kaiser Karls V. vor Lauingen”, 1546.

 

Interior of an Italian kitchen, after woodcut in ‘Banchetti compositioni di Vivende’ by Christoforo di Messisburgo, published 1549

“The chief”, woodcut by Jost Amman, in the cookbook “Ein new Kochbuch” by Marx Rupolt, 1581.

From the the cookbook “Ein new Kochbuch” by Marx Rupolt, 1581.

Unknown artist and date

Unknown artist and date

 

“Baker Preparing Pies”. by Bartolomeo Passarotti (1529-1592)

I will end this little entry with a far older picture – it seems the manly square apron have been in fashion for quite some time:

Psalter. Flemish c. 1320-30.