Early Orientalist Sentiments in Dutch Baroque Still Life Paintings: A Study of Harmen Steenwyck

Authors

Maika Bahr, Brigham Young University
Martha Peacock, Brigham Young University

Keywords

still life paintings, Harmen Steenwyck, orientalist sentiments

College

Humanities

Department

Comparative Arts and Letters

Abstract

The relationship between the Dutch Republic and Japan during the seventeenth century provoked early Orientalist feelings that were manifested in still-life paintings. Harmen Steenwyck’s Still Life: An Allegory of the Vanitas of Human Life from 1640, depicts an intricate, Japanese sword at the center of a still-life table scene surrounded by objects that allude to the theme of vanitas, like the yellowed skull and pocket watch, and other objects that signify the romanticized Orient, like the supple fuchsia-colored silk and sparkling seashell (Fig. 1). Although still-life paintings are usually decoded with an emphasis on the theme of vanitas, I chose to demonstrate how this particular piece conveys a sense of Dutch superiority in military prowess and commercial success. This degradation of Japanese culture is achieved through the work’s focus on the sword as a stolen object, the religious and militaristic connotations attached to the sword, and the general over-idealization of the Orient.

Recommended Citation

Bahr, Maika and Peacock, Martha (2019) "Early Orientalist Sentiments in Dutch Baroque Still Life Paintings: A Study of Harmen Steenwyck," Journal of Undergraduate Research: Vol. 2019: Iss. 2019, Article 80.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jur/vol2019/iss2019/80