Maaltijd met hond en kat 1565 - 1630

This print, *Maaltijd met hond en kat*, was made by Antonio Tempesta, an Italian artist working around 1600. During Tempesta's time, the Counter-Reformation sought to reaffirm Catholic authority through art, and there was a growing interest in genre scenes depicting everyday life. The print presents a scene of grotesque figures feasting, while a dog and cat scavenge for scraps beneath the table. The caricatured features of the diners raise questions about the artist’s intent. Are they meant to satirize specific social classes or perhaps reflect broader anxieties about moral decay? The presence of the animals adds another layer, blurring the lines between human and animal behavior. They mirror the unruly, instinctual aspects of the human figures above. Tempesta's print invites us to reflect on the complex interplay between appearance and reality, civility and barbarity, in a world undergoing profound social and religious change. How do we reconcile our idealized visions of society with the often unsettling realities of human behavior?