Grafmonument van Engelbert II van Nassau in de Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk te Breda 1827 - 1891

Editor: Here we have Johannes Bosboom's "Grafmonument van Engelbert II van Nassau in de Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk te Breda," a pencil and pen sketch created sometime between 1827 and 1891, and currently held at the Rijksmuseum. I'm struck by the sketch-like quality, the way it captures both the grandeur of the monument and the labor involved in its creation. What draws your eye when you look at this? Curator: My interest immediately goes to the process of reproduction itself. This isn't the monument, but a drawing *of* the monument. What are the implications when a pencil and pen mediate the grand carved sculptures? It flattens, it simplifies. More importantly, the labor Bosboom undertook -- the *act* of sketching-- transforms the sculpture into something else entirely. The value isn't intrinsic; it's assigned. Editor: That's interesting, so the artistic skill itself gives the sculpture value? Curator: Precisely. But it also emphasizes accessibility and consumption. Was Bosboom selling these drawings, or producing them for study? If the image circulated, how might this impact the perception of both the monument and the Nassau family it commemorates? Consider too the materiality of the drawing itself – paper, graphite, ink. Everyday materials transforming something monumental. It’s a form of alchemy, isn't it? Editor: It really does make you think about who gets to own or even experience art. Curator: Yes! It shifts the focus from the inherent value of the aristocratic symbol to the manufactured value imparted by artistic labour. Editor: I never considered that angle before. Seeing it as more than just a study but as a work about labour and access changes everything. Curator: Exactly! And hopefully, this perspective shifts your perception for future encounters with art.