A Green Neck Duck with a Seville Orange 1730

Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin captured the stark reality of a dead duck with Seville orange in paint. The suspended duck, lifeless and hanging, echoes images of mortality found in vanitas paintings. Think of similar motifs in paintings from different eras. Consider Caravaggio’s beheaded Goliath or Jusepe de Ribera's martyred saints. These images highlight the transience of life and the inevitability of death, a theme deeply ingrained in the human psyche. The orange, a symbol of wealth and luxury, contrasts sharply with the duck's lifelessness, creating a tension between opulence and decay. The presence of the orange could be linked to a deep-seated primal awareness of the fleeting nature of existence. Throughout history, these symbols reappear, evolving and adapting to new cultural contexts. The collective memory of such images imprints itself upon our subconscious, reminding us of our mortality. The impact is profound, engaging viewers on an instinctive level.