Fotoreproductie van een gravure van burgemeester Van der Werf tijdens het beleg van Leiden in 1573 en 1574 1850 - 1900

Editor: So, here we have an old print – it’s a photo reproduction actually – of an engraving called 'Burgemeester van der Werf tijdens het beleg van Leiden in 1573 en 1574.' Looks like it was made sometime between 1850 and 1900. It really captures this sense of turmoil, doesn't it? All those worried faces surrounding that central figure. How do you even begin to unpack something like this? Curator: Turmoil indeed! But held in check, like a tightly strung bow. Notice how the eye is drawn to Van der Werf; the artist has created a kind of eye of the storm, a beacon. And look closer at those surrounding faces – see if you can sense defiance amongst the suffering. To me, this piece hums with the weight of history, doesn’t it? It asks: what do we stand for when everything is taken away? Have you any inkling who this Burgemeester Van der Werf was? Editor: I am guessing some kind of important political leader? Curator: Exactly. He was the mayor of Leiden during a brutal siege by the Spanish. It’s legend that when his people begged him to surrender due to famine, he offered them his own body to eat first! Do you feel that stoicism reflected in his posture? In the almost serene centre of chaos that he seems to create? Editor: Wow, that's intense. So it’s not just a historical scene, it’s also about resilience and leadership under immense pressure. Knowing that story gives the image so much more power. Curator: Precisely. History is woven into every mark on that engraving. I love the feeling that the artist wanted us to connect with that heroic moment, but also with all those desperate ordinary citizens who just want to survive. The artist seems to imply – and this is purely a reflection of my intuition now – that we too might discover in ourselves a Van der Werf of our own, when push comes to shove. And what is more precious than such self knowledge, won through such pain? Editor: It's definitely a powerful reminder that even in the darkest times, there's always a glimmer of hope, or, well, defiance! Curator: Indeed! An elegant dance between despair and...the will to be!