Duke John and duchess Jacoba during a fishing party closeby their castle in The Hague. From my perspective it looks like Jan van Eyck tries to raise our awareness of biodiversity.
"We all are part of nature: the air we breath, the water we drink, the fish and fruits we eat. Our diet depends mainly on the plants and animals around us. Same for our buildings and clothes. Trade provides variety, but trade is helped by horses, wind and sea. And against the dangers of the sea, we have the forested dunes around us."
Had van Eyck known the concepts of bacteria, chemicals, cells and atoms, he would have alluded to this level in which our body is connected to the wider natural system of the world. I dream that the message of this drawing is:
“You may take biodiversity for granted, and it is so obviously all around you, that it is easy to forget it’s there - that you are a part of it and can’t live apart from it.“
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