Titelprent voor: E. Mascow, Discursus panegyricus de Belgii foederati republica potentissima, 1766 1766

Curator: My eye’s immediately drawn to the radiating lines, like the sun bursting forth. There's this sense of contained energy, but with all these symbolic layers, it's making my head spin in the best possible way. Editor: That initial burst of light really captures the core of this 1766 engraving, which is a title print. It’s by Carel Jacob de Huyser, and it’s connected to E. Mascow’s work, "Discursus panegyricus de Belgii foederati republica potentissima", or a laudatory discourse about the powerful republic. The image is packed with symbolism relevant to that theme. Curator: Ah, a key! Suddenly the boats circling around the lower part of the image make so much more sense—it’s all about trade and naval power. But there is an almost overwhelming density to it. All the little ships in that perfectly formed ring feel a bit like ants… or are they bees, perhaps working industriously together? Editor: Precisely. The Dutch Republic thrived on maritime trade, hence the prominence of ships circumnavigating the globe. The tree towards the top—an important visual reference—symbolizes the House of Orange, and a protective Fortuna watches over a thriving port scene. It's history-painting presented as pure symbol. Curator: History-painting is right. I can definitely sense an era in flux. Though it looks simple, I notice a sense of longing mixed into what otherwise comes off as pure patriotic boasting. All those crisp lines; so exact yet so emotive...almost making me sentimental about an era I never even knew! What do you take from it? Editor: For me, it’s about how carefully curated these visual narratives are, these prints acting almost as propaganda, bolstering national identity through carefully selected symbols and Latin phrases like "FORTUNA REDVX," " Fortune has returned" and "FINIBUS TERRA MARIQUE LUSTRATIS", "after traveling all lands and seas." De Huyser provides a powerful emblem, distilling complex socio-political ideas. Curator: Yes, absolutely, powerful is indeed what the image projects most clearly: from symbolism to power. Editor: True that, and these sorts of public works allow the population to feel and participate in what this powerful Dutch republic can accomplish!