Mercurius met een trompet en putti die de huid van de Nemeïsche leeuw dragen

Curator: The precise line work in this print really captures my attention. Editor: It’s Baroque grandiosity flattened onto paper, a somewhat sterile spectacle, wouldn’t you say? Curator: Well, let's unpack it. What we're looking at here is a metal engraving by Bernard Picart, created between 1713 and 1719. The Rijksmuseum houses this impressive piece, titled "Mercurius met een trompet en putti die de huid van de Nemeïsche leeuw dragen," which translates to Mercury with a trumpet and putti carrying the skin of the Nemean lion. Editor: Yes, putti carrying a lion skin. On the one hand, you have symbols of power, of classical strength, and on the other…cherubic infants co-opting this history. I'm compelled to view this work as being concerned with cycles of domination and co-option. I mean, consider Mercury himself, the winged messenger god. His image, his identity, is employed to solidify certain narratives. Curator: Mercury, of course, has a long and layered history of symbolizing eloquence, communication, and trade. Here, with his trumpet, he becomes the herald of victory, a powerful voice for the establishment. Editor: Absolutely, but whose victory is being heralded? And what power structures are being reinforced by these seemingly innocent images? This "history painting" as the museum terms it, it’s clearly more of an allegory, a crafted representation laden with symbolism. Consider the image from a post-colonial lens and… Curator: Perhaps we're ascribing modern anxieties onto a distinctly baroque celebration of power. The putti themselves symbolize divine love, and their playful wrestling with the lion's skin might just represent humanity's triumph over primal instincts, through divine assistance. The trumpet amplifies the power of enlightenment, which I think is how contemporaries viewed it. Editor: An optimistic reading. But how can we disentangle that "enlightenment" from the oppression it often masked? Or the cultural violence that this era enabled and validated through art and aesthetics? Curator: It's true, the symbols can be twisted depending on the perspective. Seeing beyond the initial triumphant imagery really enriches the piece. Editor: Exactly! Examining artworks through varied viewpoints, like this, allows us to unveil deeper narratives.