Beschouw vry met oplettende oogen, 't geen ge u ziet voorgeprent, ô jeugd! / En, merkt ge op ieders werkvermogen, Zo vindt gy 't nut 'er van met vreugd 1715 - 1813

Curator: This print, dating from between 1715 and 1813, is by Hermanus Numan, residing in the Rijksmuseum collection. It's entitled "Beschouw vry met oplettende oogen, 't geen ge u ziet voorgeprent, ô jeugd! / En, merkt ge op ieders werkvermogen, Zo vindt gy 't nut 'er van met vreugd." Quite a mouthful, isn’t it? What strikes you first about this busy composition? Editor: Well, it’s packed with little scenes! They all seem to show different kinds of work or trades. It feels very... orderly, I guess, in how they're all laid out. What was Numan trying to say with so many small images together? Curator: That's a marvelous starting point. Think of it as a sort of encyclopedia of labor. Each vignette displays a different craft. Do you notice how many show processes – blacksmithing, perhaps even early lens-making? It is very much of the era, with an urge to classify, understand the world through observation, a very Enlightenment ideal. Each craft has meaning, offering moral lessons through visual proverbs. What can you interpret from that perspective? Editor: So, it’s like, look closely, young people – 'beschouw vry met oplettende oogen’ – pay attention to all the jobs around you and you will discover the value in it. And that it's "Dutch Golden Age" also adds meaning? Curator: Exactly! The "Golden Age" cultivated this idea of appreciating hard work and domestic industry; Numan plays on that sentiment. But doesn’t it strike you that while instructive, there’s a playfulness here too? Imagine it displayed in a home. It prompts conversation and musing and reminds me, just slightly, of certain comic books, where the narrative is delivered through distinct blocks. Editor: I hadn’t thought of it that way! It's educational, moralistic, and maybe even a little humorous all at once! Curator: It's a good exercise in learning how to 'read' an image closely. Something we've both done, wouldn’t you say?