Emulating Vatel: Portraitomanie, Celebrity, and Culinary Intermediality, 1880-1914

With the rise of gastronomic culture in nineteenth-century France, self-immolating seventeenth-century maître d'hôtel Francois Vatel was rehabilitated, however erroneously, as a model of culinary distinction and precursor of the celebrity chef. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, popular images of Vatel (post and trade cards, catalog covers or letterhead), like failed attempts at more exalted renderings – notably a lard statue – provide a paragon to emulate. Through "culinary intermediality," key elements of culinary art figure within visual art, as Vatel portraits intertwine with foodstuffs, food preparation, kitchen paraphernalia, and the hopes and dreams of both professional and home chefs.