Interactive Still Life

Búcaros

Red vases atop the chest.

Portuguese containers used to cool and flavor water. The clay would infuse with the contents. It was thought to purify water and protect from poisons.

https://smarthistory.org/pereda-still-life-w-ebony-chest/

Cheese or sugar?

The Aztecs drank their chocolate unsweetened, regarding the drink as precious and using it in religious rituals. Europeans transformed it by adding sugar and spices. Cheese and chocolate is paired together in Colombia to this day, so there is valid speculation on what this block could be.

https://smarthistory.org/pereda-still-life-w-ebony-chest/

Antonio de Pereda’s "Still Life with Ebony Chest," is a still life painting showing the cultural significance of an array of objects. Each item is part of the social ritual of drinking chocolate, an exotic beverage involving careful display and preparation. In the present day, we can buy chocolate for a few dollars at any gas station, but at the time of this painting, it was a luxury. This still life represents a cultural display of wealth in 17th century Spain.

Cups

Specifically used to drink chocolate.

Each has a different origin, an imitation of Chinese porcelain from the Netherlands (left), a small lusterware bowl from Manises, Spain, and Chinese porcelain (back).

https://smarthistory.org/pereda-still-life-w-ebony-chest/