Still Life with Fruit and Plucked Duck c. 1651 - 1653

Harmen Steenwijck painted "Still Life with Fruit and Plucked Duck" during the Dutch Golden Age, a period marked by unprecedented economic prosperity. The painting isn't merely about food, it speaks volumes about cultural identity and social status. Steenwijck presents us with a table laden with the spoils of the land. Fruit, nuts, and the lifeless duck. What does it mean to feast your eyes on such an abundance? For the Dutch elite, paintings like these were symbols of wealth and global reach, but the plucked duck invites a darker reading. Steenwijck, through his art, captures the contradictions of his time. The Golden Age was built on global trade, including the trade of enslaved people. The abundance displayed in this still life becomes more complicated. It serves as a reminder that the economic prosperity of the Netherlands was deeply intertwined with exploitation. The duck and the fruit invite us to reflect on the human cost of material wealth.