Still Life with Tropical Fruit

This picture is part of a series of 26 ‘Brazilian’ paintings that Johan Maurits presented to the Danish king, Frederick III. This was a diplomatic gift to enhance Johan Maurits’ reputation and consolidate his power. The painter responsible for this series was Albert Eckhout, who aimed to depict the colony of Dutch Brazil in a still life featuring papaya, a pineapple as it blooms, and berries from a brejaúva plant set before a cloudy sky.