Da Vinci also had a great passion for invention and cookery, and is credited as being the inventor of spaghetti.
The edible portrait includes classic Italian food including spaghetti, cured meats, olives and artisan bread and was commissioned by Italian-style family restaurant brand Bella Italia to promote the launch of its new menu.
The food masterpiece was commissioned by Italian restaurant chain Bella Italia to celebrate Da Vinci’s life and work, and mark the launch of their new menu.
The portrait was inspired by da Vinci’s passion for both art and invention, particularly in the world of food and kitchen design innovation, including his creation of a ‘spaghetti-making machine’ and an automated spit that roasted meat.
Food artist Carl Warner and his team took over 20 hours to design and create the portrait, as each ingredient was painstakingly laid out to perfectly reflect the Renaissance masterpiece.
The portrait includes: hat and coat made of two artisan breads; eyes made of mozzarella and olives, with fusilli, rigatoni and conchiglione pasta details; Parma ham lips; chicken breast and fettucine pasta face and chicken wing nose; and two types of spaghetti for the beard.
Carl Warner, food artist, said: “I was thrilled when Bella Italia asked me to take on this challenge. The contrasting textures and shapes of the different varieties of pasta worked particularly well when defining the details in the face of da Vinci, which I just hope he would have enjoyed.”
Da Vinci’s passion for food is well-documented in the surviving ‘kitchen notebooks’, left to his student Francesco Melzi, in which the famed artist, scientist and inventor recorded his thoughts on cooking, table etiquette and kitchen inventions.
Célia Pronto, chief customer officer from Bella Italia, said: “Given our expertise in pasta, and with our new menu launch coinciding with the 500th anniversary of Da Vinci’s death, it felt like the perfect opportunity to celebrate the Italian genius in the way we know best – with delicious Italian pasta and produce. We’re delighted with the finished product.”
You can watch the portrait being made by clicking on this link: https://vimeo.com/336815962.