Vlakken met scheuten van de wilde lijsterbes before 1897

This work, “Vlakken met scheuten van de wilde lijsterbes” or “Panels with shoots of the wild rowan,” is an undated print by an anonymous artist. With its detailed botanical rendering, the print belongs to a tradition of scientific illustration which gained momentum during the Enlightenment. Works like this reflect the historical pursuit of categorizing and understanding the natural world through a rational, often colonial lens. The wild rowan, or mountain ash, isn’t just rendered as an aesthetic object; it's presented as a specimen, part of an effort to systematize knowledge. The contrast between the regimented panel on the left and the seemingly natural arrangement on the right hints at tensions between control and wildness, order and chaos. Consider how the act of depicting nature is never neutral, but always carries cultural and historical baggage. These botanical studies often served imperial interests, documenting resources in colonized lands. What does it mean to see nature framed through this historical lens? How might we re-imagine our relationship with the natural world beyond such frames?