A Feast for the Eyes: A Meal in Books
Exhibition Dates: Thursday, May 5th through Friday, August 5th, 2005

Opening Lecture, May 5, 6:00 PM
Francine Segan, "DaVinci's Table: Renaissance Feasts"
(Book-signing 5:30 PM. Reception and Exhibition after lecture.)

Noted food historian Francine Segan, author of Shakespeare's Kitchen, Movie Menus, and The Philosopher's Kitchen will open the reception. Her lecture, DaVinci's Table: Renaissance Feasts, will take us on a tour of the fascinating information and advice contained in the cookbooks of the Renaissance -- everything from table manners, to cures for an earache, to suggested jokes, riddles and puns to tell between courses. There will be a small snack available before the lecture at 5:30, at which time Ms. Segan will be happy to sign copies of her books.

After the lecture the Friends of the Rare Book Room will host a reception in the Main Reading Room, where there will be plenty of time to take in a selection of the Academy's rare culinary treasures:

A Feast for the Eyes: A Meal in Books
This exhibition, curated by Miriam Mandelbaum, presents an essentially French meal in illustrated editions of books on cookery and food dating from the 16th century to the 20th century. The exhibition begins with an exhibit case of Preliminaries which features a second edition of Bartolomeo Scappi's Opera…(Venice, 1596), an extremely rare and important cookery book authored by the chef to Pope Pius V. The first edition of Scappi's Opera… was printed in 1570 and contained the first illustration of a fork to appear in a printed book. The remaining cases contain most of the elements of an haute cuisine meal: Huitres, Potages, and Hors D'oeuvres (oysters, soups, and hors d'oeuvres); Poissons (fish); Entrées and Entremets de Légumes (vegetable side dishes); Rotis (roasted meats); Salade; Glace, Fromage and Chocolat (ice cream, cheese, and chocolate); Desserts; Vins and Liqueurs; and Café and Thé. Two cases are devoted to desserts because desserts were more often illustrated than almost any other part of a meal in cookery books and because desserts are fun.

This event is free and open to the public. For more information about NYAM programs in the history of medicine, visit our website, write history@nyam.org or call Christian Warren (web address and telephone number provided below)