Duivenei 1770 - 1790

This is Jan Brandes' drawing of a 'Devil's Egg', made with pen in gray and brown ink and watercolor on paper. The composition immediately strikes you with its stark simplicity: a single egg, rendered with delicate gradations of grey, floats against a muted, unadorned background. Brandes directs our focus through the use of light and shadow, giving a three-dimensional quality to the otherwise flat surface. The cool tones evoke a sense of detachment. Consider this formal arrangement in relation to the period's broader engagement with Enlightenment ideals and scientific rationalism. Brandes’ careful study is a form of empirical observation. Yet the title, ‘Duivenei’ or ‘Devil’s Egg’ hints at how the artist might be challenging fixed ideas around scientific representation. Brandes draws our attention to how an object can be both ordinary and enigmatic.