Inname van Huy, 1705 1712 - 1715

Curator: What we have before us is an engraving titled "Inname van Huy, 1705," or the Taking of Huy, 1705, created between 1712 and 1715 by Johann Balthasar Probst. The artwork, currently held in the Rijksmuseum, is executed using pen and ink. Editor: It's remarkable! My first thought goes straight to those swirling baroque embellishments hugging the central image – cherubs, laurel wreaths, allegorical figures. It feels like a visual opera. Almost overwhelming. Curator: Overwhelming in a meticulously ordered way. Baroque loved its density and detail as a sign of power. This print commemorates the capture of Huy during the War of the Spanish Succession. Probst doesn’t just show the battle; he surrounds it with a justification and celebration of military triumph. Editor: I am curious about the image on the left page depicting a map or a compass. Are the baroque details framing some sense of strategic vision? What do you make of it? Curator: Absolutely. It depicts a carefully designed representation of a military campaign. Huy was a strategically important location. Images such as these legitimized conflict. This was part of shaping public memory through art. It almost feels propaganda but for the elite. Editor: And do you think this appeals more to reason or emotion? It feels so much like it leans towards spectacle... Curator: Both were integral in appealing to elite society, with emotional and patriotic fervor fueling its rational underpinnings and execution, and legitimizing its lasting significance. Editor: I suppose it gives some form to chaos by illustrating battles and all these campaigns. Art becomes a way to not only showcase victories, but, at the time, maybe it served as a way to better understand them too. Curator: Precisely. It's a fascinating interplay of art, power, and historical record. Editor: Makes you wonder what future generations will extract from the endless reels of media we generate now about similar conflicts.