In honor of National Cheese Lovers Day this year, we were joined by Norbert Wabnig, owner of the Cheese Store of Beverly Hills, and LACMA educator Mary Lenihan to talk about all things cheese. Lenihan discussed the history behind the 17th-century Dutch still-life painting Still Life with Cheeses, Artichoke, and Cherries by Clara Peeters. Although the plate looks rather simple, Mary says it was a typical breakfast that was considered “a very, very nice assortment of food that would have been served in an upper-class home at the time” in Holland. Wabnig jumped in to talk about the two possible cheeses in the painting: a well-aged Gouda (still made in the Netherlands) and a Trappist-style cheese. Learn more about Gouda and Wabnig’s guess on what drink the Dutch would have paired with this meal.

Still Life with Cheeses, Artichoke, and Cherries is currently on view in the Ahmanson Building, Level 3.