Poëzie-album van Gesina ter Borch c. 1652 - 1680

Curator: Before us lies something delicate, intimate. It's a poetry album, created by Gesina ter Borch, dating back to the Dutch Golden Age, sometime between 1652 and 1680. Editor: The colour is fascinating. It looks like skin, old parchment, worn and weathered by time. It feels incredibly personal just from this cover alone. Curator: Absolutely. These albums were intensely personal. Imagine the thoughts, the feelings, the shared secrets held within. Gesina used watercolours on toned paper, quite common for the time. It invites a soft and emotive quality. Editor: Toned paper… that suggests a careful consideration of light, doesn't it? It's like she's already anticipating the shadows and highlights within. Almost like a stage is set for these emotions, for these poetic musings. The letters, G. T. B., also point to the unique value and ownership. Curator: It’s also interesting to see the album now as almost like an early precursor to social media...a space for intimate sharing and creative expression. Think of the exchange, the artistic gifts... it carries a different weight, knowing the time and care it demanded. Editor: Definitely. It feels precious in a way digital interactions rarely do. Looking at it, I feel like I’m glimpsing a secret world, a carefully curated collection of affections and artistic sensibilities that only those who could access this book, could access the feelings held in its contents. The closed format heightens the desire for entrance and secrets. Curator: A real portal. I find myself imagining the hands that have turned these pages, the voices that have read these poems aloud. It makes you think about the power of physical objects to carry memory. Editor: It’s a quiet kind of rebellion, isn't it? These acts of subtle, intimate artistic collaboration existing alongside more grandiose, public artworks of the time. A hidden language. Curator: Well, the next time you encounter this book, picture the delicate details of watercolour upon parchment, the whispered verses, and the personal artistry interwoven to create an expression of intimacy and self-discovery. Editor: I will certainly reflect upon this poetry collection as not just artwork or text, but instead, as an experience between Gesina and those with the vulnerability to write back.