Slaughtered Pig
by BEUCKELAER, Joachim, Oil on oak, 114 x 83 cm
The theme of the slaughtered pig and the tradition of the Netherlandish butchers’ shop were probably established by Aertsen, who painted many such pictures. The genre continued until Rembrandt and beyond. It is also supposed to have a religious significance, as an allegory of the Crucifixion and the Eucharist, represented respectively by the pig in the foreground and the wine being brought from the cellar in the background.