Vijf putti bij een vaas met druivenrank 1767 - 1780

Curator: This lovely pen and ink drawing is attributed to Bernhard Schreuder, dating from around 1767 to 1780. Titled "Vijf putti bij een vaas met druivenrank," it depicts five cherubic figures clustered around a vase overflowing with grapevines. Editor: It strikes me as so playful, almost chaotic. The sketch-like quality amplifies the sense of youthful energy bursting from the composition. Curator: The putti are indeed brimming with vivacity, characteristic of the Rococo style. It is a fascinating drawing, rendered in confident lines, depicting children often found in the period, linked to ideas about love and playful innocence. Editor: Absolutely. Putti often played this allegorical role during the Rococo, often symbolizing innocence and love. The grapevines, however, can be linked to more pagan ideas linked to the god Bacchus or Dionysus that speaks about a sense of earthly abundance, too. Curator: It's also interesting to note that while putti were associated with Christianity and images of Heaven, as a theme it echoes much further back into Greek and Roman myths of nymphs and nature spirits. And of course in decorative schemes such as these, it lent itself to a very lighthearted treatment! Editor: Speaking of decorative schemes, can we look at the implications for the artwork’s public role? Rococo pieces such as this, originally designed for consumption of the upper-class public, might offer clues of how cultural power structures in Dutch society legitimized itself through leisure or through a carefree image. The absence of lower classes adds, of course, an element of classism within the scheme. Curator: You are right, but also bear in mind that its very presence here in the Rijksmuseum serves a new democratic function: It is recontextualised from purely elite viewing to something that should ideally become accessible to all! Editor: Point well taken! Overall, it gives such insights of Rococo sensibility during this period. Curator: I agree. We can really sense the playful charm that has lingered for centuries in the visual culture of Dutch imagination!