Cheerful company disturbed by death, by Borch (1660)

Cheerful company disturbed by death, by Borch (1660)

Original title: Vrolijk gezelschap dat door de dood wordt gestoord ("Cheerful company disturbed by death").

This painting represents a banquet, where some of the guests are humans, and others are skeletons. Most of the skeletons on the left seem to assist the banquet (serving drinks and food, and one playing the violin), whereas others seem to be disrupting the event (two of these wearing crowns of thorns are grabbing two women, whereas another is fighting a man). On the right, a woman peacefully walks away with a skeleton holding hands. The skeleton is also wearing a crown of thorns and is holding in its left hand what appears to be a feathers hat, similar to the hats men are wearing in the painting. Only one of these skeletons is represented with hair. Out of the three paintings in the banquet room, one of them depicts what appears to be a celebration with skeletons, most of these playing music in the tradition of the totentanz or dance macabre. The painting to the right seems to represent the ages of life from childhdood to death.

Gender perspective: The skeletons, not clearly marked regarding sex, are executing some tasks attributed to the male gender, such as taking a woman's way or flirting with another woman, and activities traditionally reserved for females such as serving food and wine. Notice that the painting of the ages of life on the wall mixes male and female figures, and the final corpse is female.

Borch, Gesina ter (1633-1690)

1660

Paper watercolor.
Dimensions: 24.3 × 36 cm