Tegeltableau met de druivenoogst 1744

This is a tile panel depicting a grape harvest, made by M. van Kuyk. Its medium is earthenware. The tile panel pictures labor in what was likely an idealized form. We see a group of workers, presumably peasants, harvesting grapes and hauling them away in carts. Details of their costumes and the landscape point to the Netherlands. But what did it mean to depict rural labor in tile art, and what kind of institutions shaped it? For example, were these tiles displayed in the homes of wealthy merchants? These images may have offered a picturesque view of the countryside, romanticizing the lives of laborers. The image may have served to reinforce social hierarchies by presenting an orderly view of rural life. To understand this artwork better, we might consider the social and economic history of the Netherlands, as well as the history of Dutch tile production. Historians of art and culture have access to resources that can help reveal the social meanings embedded in this image.