The Tribute Money. Peter Finding the Silver Coin in the Mouth of the Fish. Also called ‘The Ferry Boat to Antwerp’ 1616 - 1634

Curator: What strikes me first is the sheer density of the composition. The artist really packs a lot of figures and objects into a very shallow pictorial space. Editor: You’re absolutely right. Let's unpack this for our listeners. We are looking at Jacob Jordaens's oil on canvas, painted sometime between 1616 and 1634, titled *The Tribute Money. Peter Finding the Silver Coin in the Mouth of the Fish. Also called ‘The Ferry Boat to Antwerp’*. Curator: I’m really curious about that alternative title because, right away, I’m thinking about forced displacement. What would make so many disparate figures cram into one vessel, accompanied by farm animals and other possessions? Are they refugees? What is the historical context we’re looking at here? Editor: Well, consider the time, it was a period marked by religious and political turmoil. Antwerp, then a major port city, experienced cycles of conflict and migration. It’s possible that the image conflates the biblical narrative with contemporary social issues, a comment on the material consequences of war and religious persecution. The labor involved in transporting these individuals, alongside their animals and belongings, speaks volumes about the physical toll of displacement. Curator: That gives another reading to Peter finding the coin, as almost an allegory about taxation and socio-economic subjugation. Note too that not everyone in the boat appears to be treated equitably. Some passengers look wealthy and relatively unburdened, while others, closer to the water line, seem poorer. I’m especially concerned with the depiction of children in that lower corner: their facial expressions suggest helplessness and precarity. Editor: I also see the social stratifications in the distribution of weight and space within the boat itself. Those with power and privilege occupy the higher, drier spots, while those most vulnerable are literally closer to the water, mirroring the material reality of being closest to sinking. But notice the texture of the oil paint, see the way that it connotes density but also liquidity? Jordaens may be using the materials themselves to echo this story’s central concerns. Curator: Absolutely. It’s about the intersection of labor, the material realities of conflict, and how such conflicts exacerbate social hierarchies. A really rich scene and a reminder of how art can be both a mirror and a lens on history. Editor: I agree; the density of people and goods underscores both the ingenuity and strain on infrastructure caused by displacement.