Sir Nathaniel Bacon did not paint professionally but he was a skilled amateur artist. The cook maid surrounded with lavish produce, usually associated with Dutch and Flemish art, is unusual in England for the period. The painting is quite unusual for British art of this period since it shows a lavish still life. Still life paintings became established in Britain in the late seventeenth century.
Every item depicted in the image is known to have been growing in England. Although every item represented in the painting was grown in England, not all would have been in season. According to a letter, Bacon was growing melons at his estate in East Anglia, and was known to have a keen interest in horticulture. The painting reveals the artist’s interest in gardening which was becoming increasingly fashionable during this time period.
His wealth let him paint for his own pleasure. We know that Nathaniel Bacon travelled in the Southern Netherlands during this period and that paintings of cook maids were prevalent in the southern Netherlands in the late 16 Century and early 17th Century. He may have travelled there, trained there and become accustomed to this compositional style while he was there.
The subject most likely would have had erotic connotations. The large amount of ripe melons surrounding the cookmaid echo her cleavage.