Kitchen Orchestra, Italy 1955 - 50x76cm (20x30 inch) Archival Print (Unframed)

This charming kitchen orchestra is from an Italian menu cover dated 1955. It features a chef, standing on a crate of vegetables, conducting various animals to make sweet music together. He uses a ladle as a baton. There’s a goose playing a pot that doubles as a cello, a rabbit using a fork-violin, a lobster playing a funnel-trumpet and a chicken, sitting on a toadstool, using pot lids as cymbals and drumming on a metal casserole dish. On either side of the chef is a turkey playing a grill-harp and a duck, sitting on a tomato, playing a xylophone made from wine bottles and spoons. All seven are working in harmony for the benefit of the lucky diners who patronized this unnamed restaurant. The menu cover is from a private dinner held by an unnamed Italian football club celebrating the Feast of San Silvestro on December 31, hence the in-jokes about missed goals and inferior playing. There are lobsters from Sardinia for (translation) those who don’t score goals; mixed meats for (translation) players who know how to score goals and those who, unfortunately , don’t; ice cream for (translation) after the defeat and wine for (translation) those who want to feel better. There is also lasagna as a starter. We don’t completely understand the jokes but we think the illustration is exquisite. Courtesy Private Collection. EACH PRINT IS ACCOMPANIED BY A COPY OF THE INTERIOR MENU WHERE AVAILABLE. WE MAKE OUR PRINTS WITH ARCHIVAL-QUALITY FINE ART PAPER, USING PROFESSIONAL PIGMENT INKS. PROPERLY FRAMED OR STORED, OUR PRINTS WILL LAST 70+ YEARS WITHOUT FADING OR DISCOLOURING. ALL OUR PRINTS UP TO A2 SIZE ARE MADE IN-HOUSE IN THE UK. FOR LARGER PRINTS, WE WORK WITH THE BEST COMMERCIAL GICLÉE PRINTERS IN THE UK. LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR PRINTING PROCESS, BORDERS AND CUSTOM ORDERS HERE [/pages/how-we-print-and-custom-orders].