Intocht van Wilhelmina van Pruisen en haar kinderen in Den Haag, 1787 1787 - 1789

Curator: The immediate sense one gets is that of forced gaiety, don't you think? There's something uneasy about the smiling figures given the tense atmosphere. Editor: That tension, or perhaps friction, feels appropriate considering the context we are presented with. This print and watercolor work by Andrea de Bernardis, dating from 1787 to 1789, portrays Wilhelmina of Prussia and her children entering The Hague in 1787. Notice how citizens pull her carriage— a striking display of forced allegiance, isn’t it? Curator: Indeed. Structurally, one cannot miss how De Bernardis organizes the chaos with remarkable precision. The eye is led from the trees framing the image to the wagon's red wheels. The citizens straining to pull it are contrasted by the white, almost vacant, building facade in the background, isn’t it? Editor: Precisely. These citizens, they aren't just aesthetic elements, but vital pieces to understand this historical representation. This image speaks volumes about the social engineering occurring through such carefully staged displays. Curator: Yes. And it’s interesting to examine De Bernardis' choice to use watercolor in particular for such a scene. It allows the portrayal of delicate details amidst the monumental moment; each figure and gesture seems lighter in execution and perhaps subtly suggests the fragility of power itself? Editor: That’s an astute point. The rococo aesthetic and material usage here creates a poignant contrast— a decorative form attempting to contain a potentially volatile socio-political situation. Considering this piece further contextualized in similar artistic reactions of its period enhances an understanding about how artistic creation reacts, contributes, or is a simple extension to broader society change during this moment. Curator: Well, considering it formally and materially brings quite the layered reading to it, I agree. Editor: Indeed; understanding the material realities brings the symbolic weight.