Geiten en kalebas 1611 - 1650

Editor: So this is "Goats and Gourds," an engraving from sometime between 1611 and 1650 by an anonymous artist. I’m immediately drawn to the almost pastoral quiet of the scene. Two goats are resting amongst gourds, the landscape rendered with really fine lines. What strikes you about it? Curator: Well, looking at this piece through a contemporary lens, I can’t help but consider the power dynamics inherent in depictions of animals and nature during the Dutch Golden Age. How does this scene normalize or perhaps idealize a certain relationship between humans, livestock, and the land? The abundance of gourds, for instance, suggests ideas about fertility, agricultural prosperity and trade in the Netherlands at that time, wouldn't you agree? Editor: Absolutely, that's an interesting connection. It hadn't occurred to me to think of it in terms of agriculture or economy. Does the emphasis on realism reflect something about Dutch society at the time? Curator: I think so. Consider the burgeoning merchant class and the value placed on observation, documentation, and control of the environment. Prints like this one served as visual inventories, of sorts, celebrating domestic resources and promoting a sense of national pride through its realistic depiction of a very mundane farm scene. Does this domesticity feel contrived or particularly resonant, or neither, to you? Editor: Now that you mention it, there is a bit of a curated feeling to the whole scene... Curator: Yes! It moves beyond mere representation and into a powerful commentary on control and resources at a time when the Netherlands were making an aggressive, violent, and very profitable impact on the world. It certainly provides a framework through which to question that perspective. Editor: That makes me see it differently! Thank you. Curator: My pleasure! It highlights how art can invite crucial conversations about identity and historical narratives.