Regnskab 1847 1847

Curator: Here we have "Regnskab 1847," a fascinating ink drawing on paper, created by Martinus Rørbye. It is part of the collection at the SMK, the National Gallery of Denmark. Editor: Wow, my first impression? It’s like peering into someone’s very organized, very old brain! All those careful columns… but deciphering it? That’s another matter entirely. Curator: Indeed! Rørbye, known for his travel sketches and architectural studies, here presents us with something rather different: a page from what appears to be an account book. Look closely and you can see it painstakingly documents expenses, almost a personal financial history. Editor: Personal financial history… hmm. Suddenly it feels intimate, not just organized. Each entry – “so and so many shillings for… well, something in Berlin.” These were someone’s actual daily transactions! It brings a time to life in such a detailed, if oblique, way. It’s almost like overhearing fragments of their daily conversations. Curator: Precisely! The academic art style contrasts intriguingly with its everyday subject. Rørbye normally depicts grand vistas and cultural landmarks. So, what does it signify that he meticulously drew such a mundane record? Editor: Perhaps he saw a beauty even in the banal, an order in what seems chaotic. The ink itself has a beautiful patina. And isn’t an individual’s personal accounting also a kind of history painting on a smaller scale? Our daily transactions, after all, define our lives. Curator: A compelling thought. In viewing “Regnskab 1847,” we may reflect on the value we place not only on monumental history but on our daily existence, how meticulously we record, and how little we keep or lose track of along the way. Editor: It makes me wonder what someone will think if they were to see our banking statement, in maybe two hundred years. They might wonder what someone’s transactions will say about a life. Curator: Quite so. Let's leave our audience with that rather provocative contemplation.