Trofeeën met luit en tamboerijn after 1771

"Trofeeën met luit en tamboerijn" was made by Pierre François Tardieu, sometime between 1711 and 1771. These trophies, festooned with musical instruments and theatrical masks, point to the cultural values of the European Enlightenment. The luit and tamboerijn, emblems of leisure, are interwoven with symbols of classical learning like books. The mask suggests the significance of performance. These objects were collected and displayed as evidence of refinement and cultural capital. Yet, we might also ask, who was excluded from this vision of enlightenment? How did the construction of ‘civilized’ European identity depend on the exploitation of others? It invites us to reflect on the complicated legacies of the Enlightenment, recognizing both its contributions and the shadows it cast.