Gezelschap met twee mannen en twee vrouwen c. 1863 - 1914

Daniel Charles Marie Mordant created this print titled, “Gezelschap met twee mannen en twee vrouwen,” which translates to, “Company with two men and two women.” Born in 1853, Mordant, like many artists of his time, engaged with the historical genre. Here, we see a group of people, perhaps members of a merchant family, engaged in conversation around a table filled with objects. A maidservant waits to assist. The setting suggests a world of wealth and domesticity, but the artist's use of light and shadow evokes an atmosphere of psychological tension. Who holds the power in this room? What are they discussing? Is the maidservant part of the conversation? During Mordant’s lifetime the structures of class were very rigid. Through the artist’s delicate handling of light and shadow we are subtly invited to consider not only who is visible in the historical record but at what cost?