Dwaasheid van lust 1532 - 1590

Curator: Well, here we have "The Folly of Lust," an engraving done sometime between 1532 and 1590. Dirck Volckertsz Coornhert is credited with this one. It’s currently housed right here at the Rijksmuseum. My first thought is, what a beautifully rendered nightmare! Editor: Nightmare is right! The linework is exquisite, but there's a distinctly unsettling feel. It's as though beauty itself is being corrupted somehow. All those incredibly sharp lines contribute to this effect! Curator: The Northern Renaissance really excelled at mixing beauty with morality lessons. What you're feeling, I think, comes from that tension. Look at the figures: that young, idealized nude, embracing... death? Editor: Precisely. Death, or perhaps decay masquerading as allure. He even has a jester's cap on! Cupid, looking more like a spiteful imp, joins the macabre dance. This work explores vanity's temporary embrace! Curator: Yes, exactly! The allegory here is potent. Coornhert is pointing his finger at lust as foolishness—a destructive force even. Note the Cupid, readying his arrow and looking out mischievously. He is inviting us into the absurdity. Editor: And consider the broader symbolism: the jester, traditionally representing folly; the withering figure contrasted against youth, implying the fleeting nature of physical pleasure. The kiss feels like a death sentence rather than an embrace. Curator: Definitely a potent message. It does make you reflect on how our desires can deceive us. Coornhert truly captures a paradox. This lust seems to bring nothing good, only folly and transience. Editor: It’s more than just a warning, isn't it? It’s a meditation on the allure of the ephemeral. Seeing those old engravings come to life here is incredible and allows me to see things from different perspectives. Thank you! Curator: I'm left contemplating the things we blindly chase. It certainly inspires some thinking about my current direction in life. What a remarkable piece.