EXCESS

Spanning 17th-century Holland to 19th-century France, the artworks in this section offer the warning that bounty and abundance can lead to temptation and excess. Artists crafted images of fresh produce and potentially illicit substances, like alcohol and tobacco, to communicate the importance of restraint or to further historical beliefs that certain genders and classes were prone to immoderation. Created amid shifting economic realities and the expansion of trade, these objects represent societal ambivalence toward consumption habits.