Gulzigheid (Gula) 1593

Curator: Right, let's turn our attention to "Gulzigheid (Gula)," an engraving crafted by Jacob Matham in 1593. It resides here at the Rijksmuseum. It immediately strikes me as more than just a portrait. Editor: Wow, okay, my immediate feeling is... unsettling, but in a captivating way? It’s got this sort of grotesque charm; a weirdly endearing indulgence is what comes to mind first, that sounds weird to say. It really plays up the fleshiness with almost surgical precision with only lines on a printing plate. Curator: Precisely! It functions allegorically. The subject embodies gluttony, one of the seven deadly sins. Observe the clear emphasis on material abundance – the overflowing platter she bears, the depiction of plentiful consumption and animalistic qualities associated with the coat of arms at the top, the pig. Editor: Right, and I suppose those fleshy details, what the eye lingeringly moves around on... accentuate the...unhealthy pursuit of pleasure that the image so masterfully evokes. And this wasn't an easy pursuit of capturing with an engraving. Consider the multiple steps. First the sketch, and design that had to go to paper. A metal plate. A burin to score out this picture with only variations of dot and dash! That takes great skill to manipulate, that would require so much from the craftspeople creating such detail. The level of control! It’s an intense, physical creation mirroring, almost comically, the "sin" portrayed. It is about going beyond boundaries and exceeding acceptable form! Curator: Yes, Matham utilized the engraving medium exceptionally well to convey texture and weight; each carefully placed line contributes to the overall sense of excess. Think about how this engraving would be reproduced! This image isn't precious; this could travel! It’s printed, copied and distributed! Think about what kind of cultural footprint Matham's glutton has. Who saw it then and now? How could those impressions compare from different hands and gazes? Editor: The distribution! Good point, the ability to broadcast a clear moralistic symbol to such a large swathe of society must have given this art great strength... But you know, thinking of other hands involved is a thought worth its weight. Someone had to grind the ink and clean the plates, all labor from hands unknown to help create Matham’s art. These many hands add a layer of labor which make its artistic pursuit a deeply material matter as much as an artistic one! Curator: Indeed. Well, thinking about these hands and their social, and material situations certainly helped to solidify this piece as an extraordinary display of the consequences and craft and societal morals in art. Editor: For sure! To indulge a bit, this trip helped satiate the art enthusiast in me, now I want cake!