"Der ungeheure Elefant" 1685 - 1706

Curator: Ah, Johan Friedlein's "Der ungeheure Elefant," dating from between 1685 and 1706. What strikes you initially about this engraving, here at the Statens Museum for Kunst? Editor: Utterly enchanting! There's such a dreamlike quality. The landscape is almost a theatrical backdrop for these magnificent creatures, with those adorable details...the tiniest elephants parading! Curator: Indeed, the meticulousness of the engraving—a print medium after all—speaks volumes about Friedlein's technique. We see different states of elephant being as material resource...the elephants used to wage wars on the battleground and those for transit, those roaming freely as resources in their environments. He presents this baroque interest in meticulous taxonomy and, simultaneously, highlights elephant exploitation for resource production. Editor: And what stories each elephant tells! The textures are incredible; you can almost feel the rough skin. Notice how they’re set within this panoramic landscape, seemingly unfurling the scene as some primordial memory from our history books—it hints at a journey into unknown parts, literally uncharted space. Curator: Well, and thinking about what that journey actually entails. Print production involves so many different steps from initial sketch through applying acid and finally transferring pigment to create multiple versions that are all originals but distinct because produced at a specific material-historical time— the materiality of ink, pressure and distribution itself, informs understanding Friedlein's practice. Editor: Precisely! All those steps create that enchanting and mysterious visual depth we find embedded in landscape's story that also allows us to be transported into its dreamscape with just a glance Curator: So true—through Friedlein's labor, this simple sheet of paper takes on such weight in this collection that is hard to ignore once recognized fully.. Editor: A real privilege and a dream, seeing Friedlein's marvelous imagination preserved and honored here like this..