Oproep tot eendracht in de Nederlanden, 1578 1578

Editor: So, this engraving, “Oproep tot eendracht in de Nederlanden, 1578,” created in 1578 by an anonymous artist and held at the Rijksmuseum, it’s...chaotic, right? A very active scene, all these figures seemingly in conflict in the foreground, while city life unfolds in the background. What strikes you when you look at it? Curator: The overwhelming sense of visual allegory. See how conflict plays out in this enclosed arena? It’s a symbolic microcosm of the Netherlands, mirroring the call for unity amidst religious and political division. The dogs fighting – what do they evoke for you? Editor: Strife, obviously, and division... a lack of harmony. Curator: Precisely! Animals battling represented societal chaos. Think about other symbols present, like the architecture, reminiscent of ancient Roman grandeur but imposed upon a medieval city; what continuity do you see in this imposed grandeur? Editor: Maybe a statement about power, about claiming legitimacy through invoking the past. Is that reflected in the figures surrounding the arena? They seem… disconnected. Curator: Ah, keen observation. These figures representing factions – perhaps political, religious, ethnic, or social. How do you see those various societal factions today? It feels very familiar in some ways. The print uses recognized tropes of the time; but are we so far away from the sentiments? Editor: No, not at all. We are just swapping in different factions with different conflicts. The engraving shows us the patterns in historical divides. I am very drawn to the foreground as an image of chaos. It reveals to us how the struggle remains the same; it just manifests in different periods. Curator: A battle then, and a battle now. The work creates such a poignant image that it speaks to us across the ages.