Curatorial Narrative In the context of 17th-century Dutch art, Egbert van der Poel’s “Slaughterhouse interior” of 1645 occupies a unique position within the Baroque movement. The artist’s mastery of impasto technique imbues the composition with a textured, almost three-dimensional quality, drawing the viewer’s eye into the dimly lit recesses of the slaughterhouse. Van der Poel’s use of dull earth tones and muted browns creates an atmosphere of somber contemplation, underscoring the still life’s themes of mortality and decay.As “Slaughterhouse interior” is enlarged to a scale approaching 53×44 inches, its spatial rhythm begins to assert itself within a luxury interior environment. The rustic design style gives way to a more pronounced sense of materiality, with the dark grays and browns of the composition appearing to absorb light rather than reflect it. This atmospheric weight creates an intriguing interplay with paired materials su