Inhoudsopgave van de Atlas Nouveau door Nicolas Sanson c. 1700

Curator: So, what grabs you first about this image, apart from its old-world charm? Editor: Definitely the theatrical drama of it all! It’s like a stage set. Atlas straining under the weight of the world, angels trumpeting from on high… all this grandiose posturing around a blank table. It’s hilarious! Curator: That “blank table” as you call it, announces the "Inhoudsopgave van de Atlas Nouveau door Nicolas Sanson" which roughly translates to 'Table of Contents of the New Atlas by Nicolas Sanson.' Dating back to around 1700, this print—an engraving, to be exact—offers a visual gateway to the world as it was then perceived. The piece resides here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: Oh, so it is quite literally a prelude to exploring the known world… through Sanson’s eyes, of course. And Baroque! That's exactly the era of the theater, everything pumped up with emotion. Gods, heroes, dramatic light. It is a statement. A very embellished advertisement of a world! I love that there's also this little scene in the bottom, like people working in his map shop, or library... all serious scholars. A contrast of every day work under the watch of heroic figure... That resonates. Curator: I am with you, it definitely speaks to the very human need to order, document, and master one's surroundings. Note how Sanson uses allegory. Atlas isn't just holding up the earth; he is embodying endurance and geographical knowledge. The trumpeting angel, a figure of divine approval. See that seated figure and an orb? Classical virtues associated with knowledge and understanding, giving weight and prestige to the cartographer's endeavor. Even the eagle is the king of the skies and one of the main religious figure! It makes you think about cultural narratives, how societies legitimize specific perspectives. Editor: Right! These cartographers, they weren't just drawing lines; they were literally shaping worldview! It's a bit daunting how we absorb these symbolic representations as absolute truths... like old-fashioned fake news. Still it’s one thing to be critical, and another to resist this image pull... look at those dynamic figures, a tension of classical and mundane worlds held within an inch! Curator: It invites contemplation, doesn’t it? On maps as instruments of power, art as propaganda, the weight of history on our present… Editor: Exactly. Okay, Rijksmuseum, you got me thinking.