Dwerg als nachtwaker met een toverlantaarn op zijn rug, 1720 1718 - 1720

Curator: Here we have an engraving from around 1720, its title “Dwerg als nachtwaker met een toverlantaarn op zijn rug” or “Dwarf as a night watchman with a magic lantern on his back.” Editor: Oh, striking. The figure practically leaps off the paper. Its expression, though exaggerated, draws the eye—and what's that strapped to its back? Curator: A critical point! Let's consider this lantern. In allegorical prints of the Baroque era, light consistently represents reason and awareness. The lantern is ornamented; light itself takes on the power of discernment. Editor: The figure is grotesque, hardly heroic. Is there a reading where he embodies the fear of the unknown made monstrous? Dwarfs in folklore often stand in-between—neither fully human nor beast. The exaggerated facial features play into that feeling of the uncanny. Curator: Indeed, the formal tensions embody this liminal state. Notice how the strong, definite lines defining his garments contrast sharply with the exaggerated expression. The artist is drawing a clear contrast between societal expectation and internal reality. Editor: This raises questions. Who does this dwarf-like watchman protect, and from what? Does the print reveal more about societal anxieties of the period than any actual threat? What monsters lurk beyond the frame? Curator: Perhaps. Its cultural work invites questions concerning accepted boundaries. How the composition throws proportion into a symbolic role is deeply compelling; he bears his light, illuminating society through its own grotesque distortions. Editor: And sometimes a bit of ugliness reveals unexpected beauty. That internal tension and implied hidden narrative are fascinating here. Curator: Indeed. The symbolism opens numerous pathways into its themes.