Four Elements: Water

This is one of a set of four pictures which take as their theme the four elements of 'Earth', 'Water', 'Air' and 'Fire'. In the art of the Low Countries in the later 16th and 17th centuries it became common to symbolize the elements by references to the natural world. Here, seductive representations of market produce for sale or for cooking are combined with relevant Biblical episodes. These four pictures were produced in Antwerp, probably for a patron in Italy. This painting depicts the story of the Miraculous Draught of Fishes in the background. (http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk)