Et ungt ægtepar. Kronprins Frederik (Frederik V) spiser på Charlottenborg kirsebær med Kronprinsesse Louise, (C. D. Biehls Breve, udg. 1865) 1865

This drawing by Wilhelm Marstrand depicts the Crown Prince Frederik V sharing cherries with Crown Princess Louise, likely made sometime in the mid-19th century. Note the cherries in their hands, symbols deeply entwined with themes of love, sensuality, and temptation, evocative of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. Cherries have appeared across art history, from Renaissance paintings where they signaled spiritual love to more earthly, carnal desires. The intimate act of sharing a cherry transcends a simple gesture of affection. It becomes a symbolic exchange, charged with layers of meaning rooted in our cultural memory. Consider, for example, Botticelli’s Venus, often depicted adorned with cherries, an emblem of her dual nature as a goddess of both beauty and love. The act of sharing food is a primal act of connection, and on a subconscious level, it resonates as a powerful force engaging viewers and echoing across centuries.