Rammen en schapen 1742

Curator: Let's turn our attention to "Rams and Sheep," a print made in 1742 by Christian Wilhelm Ernst Dietrich, found here at the Rijksmuseum. It's rendered with etching and engraving. Editor: Ah, my first impression is, well, sleepy. There's a profound stillness emanating from this depiction. It’s a scene almost deliberately devoid of action, wouldn't you say? Curator: In a way, yes. What I find fascinating is how Dietrich takes these seemingly commonplace farm animals and elevates them. Look at the detail in their wool, almost tactile. Consider too that paper was becoming ever more important and available in the eighteenth century as a material Editor: It's true, you feel as if you could reach out and touch the coarse texture of their fleece. Speaking of materials, it must have taken some dedication to render all of those little details and shadows with etching and engraving. The man really worked his plate, eh? How do you read those rendering choices here? Curator: I agree completely. In addition, I feel this meticulous detail captures a tender awareness; I also notice how Dietrich organizes the images in sections of almost pastoral quietude. The artist clearly wants us to reflect on a sort of humble rural harmony. It's almost devotional, wouldn't you say? A material lens to spirituality Editor: Absolutely. I appreciate the insight into devotional practice here, given all the production work behind such prints! I have this odd urge to count sheep now… Well, I think that the next time I see flock in the distance, I'll remember Dietrich's gentle eye, as well as how the print itself came to be, etched laboriously on a plate of metal. Curator: Exactly. What I will take away from it is Dietrich's almost ethereal tenderness. And it seems his devotional representation of nature will linger longer than before.