Promotie met de kap te Leiden ter gelegenheid van het tweede eeuwfeest van de Universiteit, 9 februari 1775 1775 - 1801

Editor: Here we have Jacobus Buys’ pen and ink drawing, "Promotie met de kap te Leiden ter gelegenheid van het tweede eeuwfeest van de Universiteit, 9 februari 1775." Quite a mouthful! It's currently held at the Rijksmuseum. It really captures a sense of bustling academic life, even if it's monochrome. What strikes me is the almost theatrical setup, the way the figures are arranged. What do you see in this piece, looking at it with more experienced eyes? Curator: Oh, it’s so much more than just documentation, isn’t it? You feel the importance of the ritual. Buys manages to convey both the grand, ceremonial atmosphere, and the almost absurd humor of tradition. Those robes, those hats! The slight sketchiness adds a certain frantic energy. Have you ever considered what the ‘kap’—the doctoral hood—symbolizes in such a rigid academic setting? Almost like a coronation of intellect, wouldn’t you say? Editor: It's interesting that you call it absurd, almost humorous. I was mostly focused on the formality of the scene. That hood like a crown – yes, I suppose that ritualization also marks the beginning of another sort of service for the university and the nation! But why did the artist pick this specific moment? Curator: It was a grand moment. Universities held an almost mythical status then, launching pads of enlightenment. A bicentennial—200 years of scholarly dedication—deserves some visual celebration, eh? Imagine the pressure on the graduating doctor as the hood is placed – years of study culminating in *this*. It’s grand, historic, and strangely comical. Editor: I suppose now I can see that slight absurdity you mentioned, amidst all the pomp. It definitely offers a new perspective on how tradition and individual achievement play off each other. Curator: Precisely! That tension – between rigid formality and human aspiration – that's the spark that brings historical moments alive. Each drawing stroke of Buys is part of that narrative, isn’t it? A reminder to consider the spirit animating tradition.