Who painted A cook and his wife?

A cook and his wife was painted by Unknown in 1790.

Where can I see A cook and his wife?

A cook and his wife is held by Victoria and Albert Museum.

What movement is A cook and his wife?

A cook and his wife is associated with Romanticism.

Artwork

A cook and his wife

Unknown , 1790

A cook and his wife is a paint painting by the Romanticist artist Unknown. It dates from 1790 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. This panel portrays a male cook and his wife, positioned side by side against a uniform yellow field.

About this work

Overview

This panel portrays a male cook and his wife, positioned side by side against a uniform yellow field. The figures are rendered in a modest, earthy palette, emphasizing their occupational attributes rather than individual personalities. The work belongs to a larger group of sixteen illustrations that document various Indian castes and professions.

Subject & Meaning

The male figure is shown holding a chicken and a kettle, symbols of kitchen work, while the female figure carries a sizeable fish, indicating market or household provisioning. Together they represent the domestic labor of a cooking household, offering a visual record of everyday occupational roles within the society depicted.

Technique & Style

Executed in a flat, decorative manner, the painting employs a plain yellow backdrop with a subtle dark blue underlayer. The figures are outlined with clear contours, and details such as the man's grey coat with gold trim and the woman's light dress are rendered in simplified, almost graphic strokes, reflecting the series’ two‑tone approach.

History & Provenance

The panel formed part of a set of four glazed frames, each containing four colored illustrations, compiled for the India Museum. In 1879 the work was transferred from that collection, and it appears in the 1880 museum register as one of the four panels featuring yellow backgrounds within the broader series.

Context

The series was created to catalogue Indian social groups, pairing visual representation with textual descriptions of castes and occupations. Two stylistic groups exist within the series—one using blue backgrounds, the other yellow—allowing viewers to differentiate categories at a glance.