Adam geeft de dieren hun namen 1582 - 1613

Curator: Pieter van der Borcht the Elder’s engraving, dating from between 1582 and 1613, depicts the scene of Adam naming the animals. The work, currently held at the Rijksmuseum, presents a fascinating blend of meticulous detail and allegorical narrative. Editor: It has an immediate sense of…almost comical order. Every animal seems politely queued. It’s striking, this curated presentation. What’s particularly interesting is the density of the engraved lines and how they describe an arcadian landscape. Curator: Exactly! Note the composition, the linear precision used to delineate each animal. The arrangement draws your eye toward Adam at the centre, highlighting the biblical narrative. It exemplifies a masterful use of the medium. Editor: I'm immediately drawn to the representation of power. It’s not just about the act of naming, is it? Adam is situated in an implicit hierarchy, not just vis-à-vis the animals, but one assumes vis-à-vis Eve who stands further off to the side. What broader ideas about dominion and authority do you think this work promotes? Curator: While acknowledging those aspects, I’m captivated by the very skill and visual texture in the piece, such as the intricate shading achieved purely through line. This allows Borcht to capture a diverse range of textures, creating almost a complete bestiary from various sources. The engraving technique creates this. Editor: Right, but even technique becomes imbued with meaning! I look at it today, and it prompts a critique about human dominance over the natural world, especially since we understand how such perspectives are ecologically catastrophic and emerge during Europe’s age of expansion, colonisation, and forced labor. Does it give us reason to consider its contemporary resonance? Curator: I would say the success of the engraving lies precisely in how it manages to balance allegory with a clear structural arrangement. To study how it makes its claims of a single point perspective to convey and create depth across the composition itself, in the Renaissance style. Editor: A lens through which to consider our own moment, surely. Curator: Indeed. This offers ample evidence of skill.