Rotspartij met links de heilige Willem van Maleval, liggend met de handen aan een tak gebonden 1722 - 1774

Editor: So this is an engraving from sometime between 1722 and 1774, called 'Rotspartij met links de heilige Willem van Maleval, liggend met de handen aan een tak gebonden' – quite a mouthful! It’s by Christian Wilhelm Ernst Dietrich, currently at the Rijksmuseum. I immediately notice the figure seems trapped. What do you see in this piece, especially regarding symbolism? Curator: I see echoes of a persistent human narrative: confinement and transformation. The bound figure of Saint William, nestled within a rocky landscape, speaks to a psychological enclosure. Rocks, often symbols of permanence and resistance, here amplify the sense of struggle. What cultural memory do you think a bound figure evokes? Editor: Perhaps the idea of sacrifice? Being tied up and isolated...it reminds me of religious stories where someone has to suffer for a greater cause. Curator: Precisely. The binding – those rough lines etched to hold him to the branch - is less about physical restraint, more about inner conflict, the testing of faith. The surrounding wild landscape hints at his isolation, his removal from societal norms. Does the untamed nature play any symbolic role for you? Editor: It does! It is like he is outside civilization...he has to find strength within himself, or from God. So, the image balances these feelings of external struggle and internal transformation. Curator: It does. The image holds both. These natural, yet severe elements, test, challenge and finally refine, linking sacrifice to deeper religious meaning. Editor: I've never thought of landscapes having such emotional layers. Thanks for pointing out all the different elements. Curator: And thank you for making connections between the emotional and cultural relevance of visual symbols. It has made me look at this engraving with fresh eyes.