Stillevens op een schoorsteenmantel c. 1863 - 1864

Editor: So, this drawing, "Stillevens op een Schoorsteenmantel," or "Still Lifes on a Mantelpiece," was made by Maria Vos around 1863-1864. It's currently housed in the Rijksmuseum. It’s a pencil sketch, quite delicate, but it has an almost ghostly quality. What catches your eye in this sketch? Curator: I'm drawn to the intimacy Vos captures here. A mantelpiece is, in many ways, a domestic altar. What do you see arranged there? Are they precious heirlooms, simple keepsakes? These objects take on symbolic weight, silently narrating stories about the inhabitants and their connection to the past. Note the sketch quality -- unfinished and raw -- this adds to the sense of unearthing memories, like glancing at something half-forgotten. Editor: I see vases and decorative objects, but you're right, they could be so much more! The unfinished quality gives it an ephemeral feel. Are those two different mantelpieces side-by-side or are they meant to be read as a pair? Curator: Consider the pairing, side by side like that. Is she presenting contrasting realities or perhaps exploring variations on a theme of domestic life? I’d encourage the viewer to also look beyond the obvious: What memories do these sketched objects stir within you? Think of a familiar object, passed down. How does it reflect personal and cultural continuity? Editor: It makes you wonder about what stories those objects held for Vos herself, doesn't it? I think that I originally dismissed the sketch because of its incomplete feel but your pointing out the “domestic altar” of objects on the mantelpiece has me wanting to learn more. Curator: Indeed. That perceived incompleteness is, perhaps, an invitation. It asks us to collaborate in the storytelling, to fill in the blanks with our own experiences. Remember art doesn’t always offer clear answers. It invites questions and personal resonance, connecting us across time through shared human experiences.