Ritual Slave Party on a Sugar Plantation in Surinam by Dirk Valkenburg

Ritual Slave Party on a Sugar Plantation in Surinam 1706 - 1708

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painting, oil-paint, canvas

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narrative-art

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baroque

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dutch-golden-age

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painting

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oil-paint

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landscape

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figuration

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oil painting

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canvas

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group-portraits

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naive art

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genre-painting

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history-painting

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erotic-art

Dimensions: 58 cm (height) x 46.5 cm (width) (Netto), 73.7 cm (height) x 62.5 cm (width) x 7.4 cm (depth) (Brutto)

Dirk Valkenburg painted this scene of a ritual slave party on a Surinam sugar plantation in the early 18th century. Notice the figure at the center, perhaps a spiritual leader, holding aloft what appears to be a ritual object. The circle of people mimics the sacred ring dances found in various cultures, from ancient Greece to indigenous African ceremonies. Consider the white cloth worn by several figures. White often symbolizes purity, spirituality, or a connection to the divine. It is a motif that recurs across cultures, from religious vestments to mourning attire. This motif carries a powerful, subconscious charge, offering a glimpse into the deep human need for symbolic expression. Such gatherings served as a vital means of preserving cultural identity and spiritual practice amidst the brutal reality of slavery, channeling collective memory and subconscious resistance. In each gesture and symbol, we see the enduring power of the human spirit, a testament to the cyclical dance of cultural survival and transformation.

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Comments

statensmuseumforkunst's Profile Picture
statensmuseumforkunst over 1 year ago

The scene is from the Dutch colony of Surinam (Dutch Guyana, South America), where Valkenburg stayed in 1706-08. He was commissioned to work for a merchant from Amsterdan, Jonas Witsen, who owned three plantations in Surinam. The original plan was for Valkenburg to work for the plantation owner as an accountant and artist for four years, creating drawings and paintings that depicted daily life and the scenery at the plantations. Sickness prompted him to abandon his stay after two years, and only few paintings from the Surinam years survive. The painting shows a party at the Palmeneribo plantation. Valkenburg focuses on the social life of the slaves, who are not depicted as stereotypes, but as distinct individuals. Valkenburg undoubtedly used the plantation slaves as models.

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