Jean-Étienne Liotard (Geneva 1702 –1789) was an internationally renowned and itinerant pastel and oil painter, art connoisseur and art dealer. He painted the chocolate girl in Venice after which he returned to Paris.
Before that he had already worked in Constantinople, England and Switzerland. He was also famous for his portraits of Turkish clothing and foreign dignitaries, among other things. He had great success with this, but was also criticized for his realism. That wasn't en vogue at the time.
Liotard-Chocolate girl-1744- Gemaldegalerie, Dresden
The cacao tree comes from Central America where the Aztecs used cacao beans as currency and ground them and mixed them with water to make a strengthening drink: Xocoat. In the seventeenth century it slowly came via Spain and Spain to more Northern Europe where it was en vogue among the nobility and elite. According to tradition, it was a lean drink and so it could also be drunk during Lent, according to the Jesuits. Chocolate therefore does not appear in still lifes and genre scenes from the 17th century onwards, but rather in the 18th century. New customs were recorded on canvas more often. It is not without reason that paintings reflect the spirit of the times.
Ultimate chocolate milk
100 grams of dark chocolate (>63%)600 milliliters of whole milk
Pinch of salt
Cayenne pepper
Custard powder
Bring the milk to boiling point in a saucepan. In the meantime, chop the chocolate into fine pieces. Turn the heat to low and add the chocolate and salt to the hot milk and stir until the chocolate has dissolved. Keep stirring.
Mix the custard powder with 1 tablespoon of hot milk in a bowl to form a smooth paste. Add the paste to the hot milk while stirring.
Heat the hot chocolate milk while stirring for another 1-2 minutes until it has reduced slightly. Beat it until fluffy with the hand blender.
If desired, add rum, Malibu, orange slices or some almond shavings.
You can also submit a recipe inspired by a painting or other work of art for our Art & Food section. Very nice even. We are highly recommended. Please email roel@lyklemafineart.com