Eating Oysters 1669

Jacob Ochtervelt painted this scene, Eating Oysters, in the Netherlands sometime in the mid-17th century. Oysters were thought to be an aphrodisiac at this time, so the context here is important. We might ask: what social codes are at play? Consider the imagery: a woman offering oysters, a musician serenading, and a dog in anticipation. This is a scene of courtship, taking place in a domestic interior. The Dutch Republic in the 17th century was a major center of global commerce, so we might consider the economic conditions that made such a scene of relative leisure possible. How did the growth of a wealthy merchant class affect social life and the demand for art? As historians, we can look at things like household inventories, literature, and popular songs to better understand the rituals and expectations of courtship during this period. This kind of research helps us understand how paintings like this reflected and shaped social norms.