Joseph Wright painting ‘The Chef’ returns to The Old Bell.
A rare painting by the famous 18th century painter Joseph Wright of Derby has briefly returned to The Old Bell before being sold at Hanson’s Auctioneers. The painting depicts one of the cooks that used to work in the kitchens at The Old Bell during its time as a working coaching inn during the 1700s.
Joseph Wright’s paintings were famous for expressing the spirit of the industrial revolution. His painting often reflect the birth of science depicting members of the lunar society. These painting showed scientists and industrialists living in the Midlands during the ‘Age of Enlightenment’ period.
Auctioneer Charles Hanson visited with the painting exploring the Tudor bar, tavern bar and kitchens at The Old Bell as well as meeting the current head chef.
A Beautiful Historic Painting
After showing the painting to the kitchens where the old chef would have worked, Mr Hanson and the head chef spoke about the kind of dishes that would have been cooked during the old cook’s time at The Old Bell.
During the 1700s Inns and Alehouses were one of the most important buildings in towns and villages with many travellers eating and drinking under their roofs. Common types of food in coaching inns during this time included mutton, bread, cheese, roasted meats and stews.