The Poor Kitchen , 1563 Pieter Breughel ( the elder ) 1525 - 1569 Concieved as a pair along with The Rich Kitchen Tells us what it was like to be poor at the time ; a dilapidated interior where only vegetables are to be seen , and a miniscule pot over the fire . The nurse ' s breasts are dried up , while lean - flanked dogs gnaw on the shells of oysters .