Kabeljauw en steur 1581 - 1652

Editor: So, this is "Kabeljauw en steur," or Cod and Sturgeon, an engraving created sometime between 1581 and 1652. It's currently hanging in the Rijksmuseum. It's interesting how simple it is, almost scientific in its precision. What do you make of this stark depiction of these two fish? Curator: What strikes me is how the artist presents them, not just as fish, but as specimens. Each carefully rendered scale and fin whispers of a world where nature was both a source of sustenance and something to be meticulously studied, almost worshipped, wouldn't you agree? This reminds me a bit of Dürer's "Young Hare." Editor: A little! But "Young Hare" feels softer, more alive. This is…almost clinical. Is it the starkness of the printmaking, perhaps? Curator: Precisely! It's the detachment afforded by the medium. These aren't swimming; they are suspended, observed. The detail, while precise, flattens them, wouldn't you say? What story might these particular creatures have told in the bustling markets of the time? Editor: Hmm, good question. I hadn't thought of that. It definitely reframes how I see it, from a simple depiction to a cultural artifact, connected to trade and the scientific curiosity of the era. Curator: Exactly! Perhaps that seemingly "clinical" detail is not coldness, but an invitation to delve deeper into the lives—and afterlives—of these fish. What could we do with what remains? Editor: That's given me a lot to think about. I'll never look at a fish the same way again. Curator: Neither will I. Sometimes, it's the simplest images that unlock the most complex thoughts.