Vignet met Jason en Medea 1702 - 1759

Curator: This Baroque engraving, titled "Vignet met Jason en Medea", was created by Jan Wandelaar sometime between 1702 and 1759. It’s currently part of the Rijksmuseum’s collection. Editor: It strikes me as something lifted straight out of a book—or maybe even designed as a kind of embellished title card. There's a formal stiffness to the composition, a clear theatrical stage setting, and a very precise, detailed line work. Curator: That's a perfect read! Indeed, the function of this vignette is tied into its symbolic layers. Notice how Medea offers the golden fleece to Jason. The fleece symbolizes kingship and authority, doesn’t it? Consider how it frames him, literally and figuratively, in the imagery of leadership. Editor: Right, but consider Wandelaar's choices too. An engraving is a very specific kind of reproductive technology, made from carving lines into a metal plate. Think of the manual labor and skill involved! These highly controlled lines help solidify an authoritative representation, right down to the texture of the paper. The print could easily have been used to transfer the illustration, thus creating consistency among visual representation, across many copies. Curator: The uniformity contributes to the permanence of the narrative, embedding Jason's heroic narrative in a wider cultural memory. He’s posed in a way that echoes classical sculptures of heroes. It makes one wonder about the function of heroic myths like this in solidifying dynastic power. Editor: Power that depends on the literal dissemination of the image via prints like this one! Did you also notice the Latin inscription under the scene? "Socio ditata labore", "Enriched by associated work", which appears right below the scene: I see labor as fundamental to not only illustrating Jason's own actions, but perhaps an understated gesture by the artist towards the engraving work? Curator: What a fascinating connection! It highlights how artists often embedded personal or social commentary within established symbolic languages. Editor: It all pulls together, the mythic symbolism, the precise engraving technique, and the textual nod to labor. Each element contributes to the work’s intricate web of meaning. Curator: It gives you a lot to ponder about the artist's intent, especially in an age of powerful monarchies and societal hierarchies. Editor: Definitely—it layers different concepts of "work" into what looks, at first glance, like just another history painting.