Vruchten op schaal before 1624

Dietrich Krüger created this print of fruit on a stand, using etching, sometime around the late 16th or early 17th century. The print depicts a selection of fruit and vegetables artfully arranged in a shallow bowl. In the Netherlands, the rise of a wealthy merchant class created a demand for luxury goods and decorative art. Still life paintings, with their detailed depictions of everyday objects, became increasingly popular. They were collected, displayed, and traded. The fruit and flowers, arranged on a simple stand, suggest both abundance and prosperity. The print could have been used as a model for other artists to copy or as a decorative element in its own right. To understand this work, we might consult historical cookbooks and botanical illustrations to learn more about the varieties of fruits and vegetables depicted and the symbolic associations they might have carried at the time. This etching reflects a society that was increasingly focused on the material world and the pleasures of the senses.