This engraving gives an evocative insight into the world of the Baroque pastry cook. Set in the bake-house of an elite French palace, one baker uses a peel to remove some finished pies from the oven, while his companion rolls out a great sheet of pastry using a rolling-pin. The shaped baking tins hanging above the oven are similar to the graceful designs in Kidder’s pastry book of a century later (displayed nearby), indicating the longevity and popularity across Europe of complex pastry creations.

Abraham Bosse (1602 – 76)

Published by Jean Le Blond I (c.1594 – 1666), France, c.1632–3

Etching

Founder’s Bequest, 1816 (30.I.5-288)