Nonnen geselen Broer Cornelis 1670 - 1724

Curator: Here we have "Nonnen geselen Broer Cornelis" or "Nuns flogging Brother Cornelis" by Jacob Gole, made sometime between 1670 and 1724. It’s an etching, and quite a disturbing scene it depicts. Editor: My first impression? Claustrophobic and…itchy-looking. All those scratchy lines making up the brooms and robes—it’s like an engraving of a bad dream. What exactly is going on here? Curator: Well, it’s thought to represent a genre scene or perhaps even a historical narrative, although the specific event isn’t definitively known. Brother Cornelis is bound to a pillar while nuns whip him. Note the performative nature of it all, the woman watching from the window above seems almost entertained. Editor: Performative is right. Look at the way they’re all clutching those bundles of sticks. Who harvests the materials for the floggings, anyway? And consider the ink— where was it sourced, who ground the pigment, what was the labor involved in producing the implements of correction? It’s an awful lot of effort going into the administration of… pain. Curator: Yes, it does make you think about the labor involved, not just in creating the artwork itself, but in the depicted scene. It makes me think of guilt, atonement, and the odd power dynamics at play. What does it mean that it's nuns wielding the punishment? Editor: And where does that key around the nun's waist lead? A tool of governance, surely. This image reeks of social hierarchy and, ultimately, of production – the mechanics of sin and its earthly punishments. I wonder if there was a market for such imagery; it couldn’t just be about the artistic process, could it? It feels... exploitative. Curator: Perhaps. Or maybe Gole sought to critique the established religious norms of the period. Or perhaps it’s a playful scene designed to titillate viewers; it really can be quite the tightrope walk interpreting the intent behind these sorts of pieces. Regardless, there’s an undeniable tension vibrating off the surface of the print, an unnerving depiction of people who have lost their faith. Editor: An unsettling image indeed. A fascinating intersection of morality, material culture, and social critique, all etched into the paper through rigorous process. Curator: Yes, it leaves us with many questions. A good sign of engaging artwork, I think.