Excellent still life photo.
As for fitting in with the challenge theme - I think even you know you were really stretching it here.
As for the photo itself - very good use of lighting. The red background contrasts well against your subject. The colors in this image are all appealing. I especially like the way you cropped this.
I really don't get the fit that this has with the "independence" theme, but it's an apealing photo. The red background is a good choice. Wish the artwork was a bit sharper in focus, but otherwise a nice shot.
Very nice image, but I fail to see how this represents independence without the title. It's a bit of a stretch. Excellent job in lighting your subject.