Het lijk van de Leidse patriot, emeritus remonstrantse predikant P. van den Bosch te Zoetermeer mishandeld, november 1787 Possibly 1787 - 1801

Editor: So, this drawing is by Jacobus Buys, made between 1787 and 1801. The title is incredibly descriptive: *Het lijk van de Leidse patriot, emeritus remonstrantse predikant P. van den Bosch te Zoetermeer mishandeld, november 1787.* It looks like pen and ink, judging by the fine lines. It’s… well, it's brutal. What story do you think it's trying to tell? Curator: It screams of political violence, doesn't it? But not just violence; very specifically, violence enacted upon a body for its political affiliations. Look at the central figure, his desecration performed with obvious relish by the surrounding crowd. I see it as a commentary on power structures, on the way the victorious dismantle and humiliate the vanquished. Consider the materiality of the drawing itself: ink and pen, relatively inexpensive materials, making this image potentially accessible for wider distribution, serving almost as a form of propaganda, would you agree? Editor: That’s a compelling point. It’s not some grand oil painting displayed in a palace, but something easily reproduced. Does the method of its production influence its message, do you think? The materials almost cheapen the gravity of the scene, paradoxically. Curator: Absolutely. Think about the labor involved – the artist, meticulously rendering each figure, each expression of cruelty. And what of the paper itself? Its texture, its very availability. This wasn't meant to be venerated as high art, I suspect. It was designed to circulate, to provoke. Consider what would it have meant to buy, own, display, hide, or burn this image? Editor: I never thought about the material properties that way, how they tie into the social and political message. Thank you for helping me to see this on new terms! Curator: Likewise! By analyzing the physical means of production, we gain deeper insight into art's role in shaping social and political narratives.