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Europe 1300 - 1800

Course: Europe 1300 - 1800 > Unit 9

Lesson 4: Dutch Republic

Osias Beert, Still Life with Various Vessels on a Table

Osias Beert, Still Life with Various Vessels on a Table, c. 1610, oil on canvas, 72.4 × 108.6 cm (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston)

Osias Beert’s Still Life with Various Vessels on a Table exudes decadence, but what lies behind ornate display of pewter, oysters, blue-and-white porcelain, and sugary sweets? In this five-minute video, hear from Antien Knaap, assistant curator of Paintings, Art of Europe; and Mary Hicks, assistant professor of History at the University of Chicago, as they explore the impact of colonialism and the transatlantic slave trade on 17th-century Dutch society—and how it manifested in art from the period.
Created by Smarthistory.

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Video transcript