Voetstuk door putti versierd 1675

Gerard de Lairesse created this print of a pedestal decorated by putti. Lairesse was a leading painter and art theorist during the Dutch Golden Age, a period marked by significant economic prosperity, global trade, and cultural exchange in the Netherlands. Here, Lairesse imagines the cherubic putti, often associated with love and innocence, in the act of adorning a grand pedestal. The pedestal and putti symbolize the opulence and luxury of the era, reflecting the desires of the Dutch elite. But, who were the real people behind this gilded age? This image does not represent the working classes of the Netherlands. Lairesse, like many of his contemporaries, perpetuated a narrative that celebrated wealth and power, intentionally obscuring the realities of inequality. Consider the stories that are left untold. The lives of the enslaved people who produced the goods traded by the Dutch. The unacknowledged labor that fueled this era of prosperity. This print invites us to consider the complexities of history and the stories that often remain hidden beneath the surface.