Het geopende graf van koning Croesus, ca. 1707-1708 1707 - 1708

Curator: "Het geopende graf van koning Croesus," around 1707-1708, an engraving by Carel Allard, currently held at the Rijksmuseum. What strikes you about this piece? Editor: It has such a dramatic, almost theatrical feel, despite being a relatively small black and white print. There are so many figures crammed into the scene, all centered around a tomb. What are we really seeing here? How should we read these images? Curator: Precisely! This engraving functions almost like a visual sermon. Allard draws on the tale of Croesus, the famously wealthy king, as a cautionary emblem. Do you see how death, in skeletal form, dominates the scene? Editor: Yes, it’s quite hard to miss, actually! Death standing triumphantly over the opened grave...and there's a putto above with a torch extinguished? Curator: Excellent observation. The extinguished torch symbolizes life's end. Allard uses these potent symbols – the skeleton, the extinguished flame – to remind us that earthly power and riches are fleeting. This image serves as "memento mori," a reminder of mortality. Where does Croesus's famed wealth leave him now? Editor: So the visual symbols function to constantly enforce the central theme – everyone dies in the end. But it goes further than just death, also the vanity of material possessions, of power? Curator: Precisely. It’s Allard commenting through a Baroque sensibility, urging humility and reflection. What’s especially revealing is the line etched beneath the image – "Post Mortem... nos triste exemplo, CRUSE superbe, doces Allar." Can you make something of that? Editor: Well, from what I can decipher, "after death," and then "Cruse" appears in there... It reads like, from his example, even Croesus learns? That's... humbling. Curator: Indeed. Allard is utilizing potent visual language to communicate enduring truths about the human condition. Every object reinforces it. And, do you agree the artwork speaks powerfully, using cultural symbols? Editor: Absolutely, seeing how Allard layers these symbols adds depth. It really emphasizes how artwork from the past carries the collective wisdom of its time, like a coded cultural memory.