Bergkristallen vaas, onderdeel van de 'Pyramide Miseroni' 1655

Dancker Danckerts made this print of a rock crystal vase in the Netherlands sometime in the mid-17th century. It was intended as a record of a vase that was itself a precious object of display, part of the so-called 'Pyramide Miseroni.' The vase’s design mixes classical motifs, such as the carved figures on the lid, with images of grapes which evoke both the pleasures of the table and Christian communion. The whole object speaks to the ways that powerful European families displayed their wealth and taste. The House of Orange, for example, amassed an impressive collection of art, using it to declare their political status. Prints like this played a key role in disseminating images of elite taste, making luxury goods visible to a wider public and creating new desires. Social historians can trace the circulation of such images and reconstruct the complex relationship between art, power, and commerce. The art of the past is never simply 'beautiful'; it is evidence of a complex social world that we can learn to reconstruct.