Isaac Elyas (Dutch, active ca. 1620-1630), Celebrating Compagny, 1629. Oil on panel. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.
The Thanksgiving holiday, and its associated goodies and foodstuffs with family gathered around the table, has caused my eyes to drift toward Dutch painting, especially the 17th century variety. This gorgeous piece by Isaac Elyas, called Celebrating Compagny and painted in 1629, caught me a couple of weeks ago. There’s something about the glint of glass and the tableware, the sheen of satin and delicate lace ruffs that seemed particularly poetic.
Delicious things are being consumed, it is a time for comfort and relaxation in such an elegant manner. The details are captivating – the pewter pitcher and the charming disarray of the table, the folds in the tablecloth, as though it was fresh and folded, then brought out for this gathering. And for the cuteness factor, there is a fluffy little dog on the woman’s lap, perhaps calling to mind how, for many of us, little pets are an integral detail of life.
The Dutch artists of the 17th century were especially good at these understated statements of elegance and abundance (well, never mind the fact that the Eighty Years’ War against Spanish Habsburg rule was raging outside; inside, things seem pretty pleasant). It had been a pretty good time for a rising merchant class, and people were filling their homes with art that spoke to a sense of pleasure and comfort.
Pieter Claesz (Dutch, 1597/98-1660), Still Life with a Crab, 1651. Oil on panel. Milwaukee Art Museum.
Still lifes were especially popular, like this 1651 painting by the renowned artist Pieter Claesz. This is of a sort known as a breakfast piece, and certainly on an empty stomach you’d be ready to dig into these edible delights. A bit of fresh crab, some luscious fruit, golden bread just waiting to be broken, and those lovely glass goblets, sparkling serenely under the light. And in the back, a pewter salt cellar — a mark of wealth and taste, as seasonings were treasured additions to the dining table.
Jacobus Victors and Jacob van Ruisdael (Dutch, ca. 1640-1705; Dutch, 1628/29-1682), Poultry Park, ca. 1670. Oil on canvas. Milwaukee Art Museum.
This painting, called Poultry Park, was done around 1670 by Jacobus Victors and Jacob van Ruisdael and now hangs at the Milwaukee Art Museum. In the spirit of the Thanksgiving holiday, I couldn’t resist this painting, too. Obviously this picture, in its own day and time, is not associated with the creation of an American holiday that is the bane of any poultry’s existence. It’s like a beautiful barnyard showing off gorgeous birds — not just one, but plenty. Abundance for humans and birds alike.
Pieter Brueghel the Younger (Flemish, ca. 1564/65-1637/38), Peasant Brawl, ca. 1620. Oil on panel. Milwaukee Art Museum.
Here’s wishing you a pleasant and peaceful Thanksgiving, — but hopefully one that doesn’t bear any resemblance to the card-game-gone-wrong drama of Pieter Brueghel the Younger’s Peasant Brawl. Cheers!
Kat Murrell
November 23, 2011
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