Economie, jacht en pastorale muziek 1779

Curator: Welcome, everyone, to another insightful look at the Rijksmuseum’s collection. Today, we're examining "Economie, jacht en pastorale muziek", or "Economy, Hunting, and Pastoral Music", a 1779 engraving by Gottlieb Friedrich Riedel. It's a complex piece; what are your initial thoughts? Editor: It’s undeniably decorative, almost excessively so. There's a sense of abundance, or perhaps overindulgence, that the light ink doesn't quite mask. Curator: It's intriguing you say that. This artwork, crafted using ink, reflects popular themes of the Rococo period: leisure, nature, and the good life. Riedel presents these concepts allegorically. Note the three distinct vignettes framed within a border, each offering a specific symbolic arrangement. Editor: Right, there are these seemingly disparate groupings: the economy symbolized by a bird in a basket, the dead game for hunting, and musical instruments representing pastoral life, each encircled by decorative garlands. It reads to me almost as an aspirational triptych. Is this about class aspiration? Curator: Exactly! It speaks volumes about the values circulating in late 18th-century Europe. There’s a fascination with the upper classes—their pursuits, pleasures, and idealized lifestyle. Editor: And what's crucial here is to acknowledge how these images of 'the good life' often conceal very stark inequalities and exclusions of labor. A celebration of leisure conveniently ignores the people involved in actually making the 'pastoral music', raising the game and tending to those birds. What kind of economy are we really talking about? Curator: Indeed, and it highlights the role of art in promoting specific social ideologies, intentionally or unintentionally. Pieces such as these give insight to how the upper class constructed, and reinforced its own narrative of power. This work’s placement in our collection, and discussion around it, serves to ask just those questions that you pose. Editor: Thinking about this engraving today also asks us about sustainable economies. "Economie, jacht en pastorale muziek" feels like a very outdated motto of overconsumption. Curator: Thank you for this enriching conversation. I invite you to think more about it after you proceed with the visit. Editor: I certainly will. Thank you!