Twee tamboers onder een oranjeboom met drie wapens after 1757

Curator: This engraving, "Twee tamboers onder een oranjeboom met drie wapens" from after 1757 by J. van Oye, immediately struck me with the contrast between its formality and playfulness. Two drummers flank an orange tree, seemingly unaware of the heraldry above. What stands out to you? Editor: Well, initially the drums are hard to ignore. It's about labor but doesn’t look backbreaking! The emphasis on the making and performance through the drums stands out, though. I’m curious though – how does a materialist lens interpret something so… decorative? Curator: Precisely. Think about the production of the print itself. Engraving, as a craft, facilitated the widespread distribution of imagery, thus also facilitating political power. These drums are crafted objects of labor themselves, tools employed in the performative displays of power. Do you see any link between that labor and, say, the coat-of-arms right in the center? Editor: It hadn't occurred to me to put them in direct conversation like that. Is it maybe suggesting who gains from all this drumming - all the marching? The coats of arms signify power, obviously, but I'm now looking at this labor of drumming with very different eyes. Curator: It certainly raises questions about the purpose and context of the image. The print could be related to a specific historical moment, or perhaps functioning as propaganda to reinforce societal hierarchy. Now consider how such imagery might circulate and influence broader culture and values. What could be the purpose behind such art? Editor: Thinking about the circulation of these images…that opens up another avenue of analysis tied to capitalism and commodification, a topic absent at the first glance! Thank you, I can look at early modern art in a totally new way. Curator: And understanding the labor embedded within each stage, from creation to consumption, gives you new ways of exploring artwork. I too hadn't previously considered how forcefully materiality comes into play in early modern heraldic images.