Gezicht op Wasserburg Rindern 1695

Editor: Here we have “Gezicht op Wasserburg Rindern,” an engraving from 1695. The Rijksmuseum attributes it to an anonymous artist. The landscape has a somewhat austere feel. What's your read of the piece? Curator: This engraving offers us insight into the modes of production during the Dutch Golden Age. The meticulous nature of engraving itself speaks to a culture that valued precision and detail, made possible by new technical means. The materials, copper and ink, reflect the era's burgeoning trade networks and the circulation of goods and images. Editor: So, beyond just the image itself, you’re seeing the engraving as an object tied to larger systems? Curator: Exactly. The choice of depicting this “Wasserburg,” or moated castle, also points to a society grappling with changing power structures. While seemingly pastoral, the scene subtly highlights a move from feudal fortifications to more symbolic displays of wealth and land ownership, facilitated through the control of resources needed to make such buildings, like brick. Think about the labor that went into not only making the art, but the building! Editor: It's interesting to consider it less about the 'view' and more about how it embodies the culture around its creation. Are you thinking about who consumed this type of image? Curator: Undoubtedly, prints such as this were commodities consumed by a growing middle class, eager to display their own access to finer goods and knowledge. The print itself functions as a scaled representation and democratizing force – ownership of a ‘view’ became a tangible item to be possessed, just like the castle. Editor: I never thought about prints as democratizing art, and a type of commodity, thank you! Curator: Thinking about art this way makes me aware of how important labor is to it.