Don Quichot laat Sancho de hertogin toestemming vragen haar te zien 1723

Curator: So, we are looking at an engraving here at the Rijksmuseum by Louis Surugue, made in 1723. The piece is titled "Don Quichot laat Sancho de hertogin toestemming vragen haar te zien"—or in English, "Don Quixote has Sancho ask the Duchess for permission to see her." Editor: Wow, it's got that slightly unhinged baroque energy, doesn’t it? Like a dream half-remembered and slightly off-kilter. And that rendering of the characters and the forest–almost theatrical! Curator: Absolutely. And think about what an engraving entails; the laborious process of etching the design into a metal plate, the precise labor to achieve detail like that in the foliage. That level of detail was meant for reproduction, of course. It becomes accessible to a broader audience than, say, a unique oil painting displayed in a noble's home. Editor: It's as if the artist is building this little world of make-believe. Sancho's theatrical plea feels like he is speaking to a crowd rather than requesting admittance. Curator: Exactly! And you see the elements of caricature present, particularly in the figures. Surugue, and engravers like him, are really democratizing satire in a visual form here. It allowed those stories from Cervantes, for example, to find new life through a whole industry. Editor: Which then turns into more opportunities for engravers, the workshops… you see where I’m going. It’s not just art, it’s also manufacturing and social distribution. But despite my fondness for a close reading on production, there's a charm about this that whispers a story of far-off places and quirky folks, don't you think? The landscape isn’t just “there;” it is acting with the characters. Curator: The interplay between these elements offers not only aesthetic engagement, but opens the door for examining class and consumption. How did the burgeoning merchant class get its imagery? From prints like this. Editor: From Sancho’s grand gesture to your production and distribution context, the artist lets our mind play hide-and-seek within a pretty little package. Curator: Indeed. It all connects. Thanks to careful craftsmanship and artistic vision.