Beker op pootjes met het opschrift: Somtijds sop / Somtijds drop before 1692

This is a glass beaker on small feet, etched with the inscription, ‘Somtijds sop / Somtijds drop,’ meaning, ‘Sometimes soup, sometimes booze’. It was made by an anonymous maker in the Netherlands. Utilitarian objects like this one were often decorated with mottos, serving as constant reminders of morality or wisdom. ‘Somtijds sop, somtijds drop’ suggests a tolerance of both the virtuous and the pleasurable. The Dutch Republic in this era was characterized by a tension between its Calvinist religious values and its booming mercantile economy. The rising middle classes enjoyed unprecedented levels of wealth and opportunity, yet they were expected to live according to strict codes of conduct. Objects such as this beaker, which seems to wink at the viewer with its mischievous message, point to the negotiation of these social and political tensions. As art historians, we can continue to research this cultural context through primary source documents such as personal letters, account books, and pamphlets. What can these sources tell us about the place of art in the daily lives of ordinary people?