De kist waarin de hostie van het Wonder van Amsterdam bewaard werd 1763 - 1765

Editor: We're looking at a pencil drawing by Johannes Dilhoff, created sometime between 1763 and 1765. It depicts "The chest in which the host of the Miracle of Amsterdam was kept." It's incredibly detailed, but the mood feels quite somber. I'm struck by how humble it all seems given its subject. What catches your eye? Curator: Somber is a good word! I see beyond just a box; it feels like a stage, doesn’t it? With its simple wooden structure adorned with naive carvings – those figures in prayer, that sunburst – almost like a child’s toy chest transformed into a vessel of immense significance. It whispers stories, you know? Stories of faith, resilience, even the theatricality of belief in the Baroque period. Imagine the hands that crafted it, the prayers that were whispered over it... Do you feel that sense of layered history too? Editor: Absolutely, especially the child's toy aspect—that gives it an approachability despite the religious context. It’s fascinating how everyday objects can become imbued with such weighty symbolism. Did this chest really house the host, or is the drawing more symbolic? Curator: Ah, that’s the beautiful ambiguity of art, isn't it? It likely depicts a real chest, but Dilhoff elevates it, doesn’t he? He turns the everyday into something ethereal, reminding us that faith often resides in the most humble of places. The mundane transformed... like the Eucharist itself, perhaps? Editor: I never thought about it that way, tying it to the Eucharist. That’s a very cool and very insightful comparison! It brings it all together. Curator: It's funny how objects – even images of objects – can contain so much history. Thanks for the chat!