#eckhout

Artist: Albert Eckhout Description: Molher Negra: Enslaved Fruit and Vegetable Vendor Year: 1641

"Eckhout painted life size images of the various population groups: The Tupi Indians, The Tapuya Indians, The Mulattos, and Mestizos, as well as the Afro-Americans who were brought to Brazil as slaves. He portrayed a woman and man from each group. Eckhouts depictions of objects and scenes in the background provided information about the various cultures and customs of the figures concerned." This specific painting represents fertilitiy through the portrayal of the woman, and her child. Also the child is holding corn which could be symbolic of good crops. Last but not least in the far background you can see ships that represent the slave trade, the means by which these symbols could be obtained.