Kitchen scene 

Jacob Jordaens created this watercolor, called Kitchen scene, during the 17th century, a period marked by European expansion and the increasing presence of Africans within European society. At first glance, we see a typical scene of food preparation. However, the presence of an African figure amidst such opulence invites us to reflect on issues of race and class during the Baroque era. While Jordaens may have intended to depict a genre scene, the image cannot be separated from the history of colonialism. The power dynamics inherent in the scene, with the white woman seemingly in charge, reflect the social hierarchies of the time. Jordaens’s composition pushes us to ask: Whose labor produced this abundance? Whose stories are often left untold? Despite its small size, Kitchen Scene encapsulates the complex and often troubling intersections of identity, labor, and representation in European art.