Hoop en Vrouwe Fortuna 1683 - 1733

Curator: Ah, this little diptych... something about it feels almost playful, doesn't it? Despite being centuries old. Editor: This is "Hoop en Vrouwe Fortuna", or Hope and Lady Fortune, an engraving from somewhere between 1683 and 1733 by Bernard Picart. It's currently held here at the Rijksmuseum. Curator: Lady Fortune looks less like a guiding light and more like someone careening down a hill without brakes! That rickety wheel... gives me anxiety just looking at it! Editor: The baroque period certainly loved its allegories. On one side, we have "Hope," sheltering with what looks like a child, maybe Cupid, under the shade of a palm tree—a symbol of victory and eternal life. While on the other... Curator: Chaos! "Lady Fortune," a bit tipsy perhaps, barreling forward. The symbolism is so clear it almost hits you over the head. But is it meant to be uplifting, a cautionary tale? Is Picart saying it's foolish to expect fate will ever be so kind to Hope as to get out of her way? Editor: Allegorical prints like these circulated widely and served as visual rhetoric during a period defined by both religious conflict and scientific revolution. So the relationship between free will, hope, and fortune, was very much up for grabs. It invites discussion on navigating an unpredictable world and reminds people that historical depictions carry philosophical weight and communicate broader socio-political ideals. Curator: It really captures that moment where things could go either way. Is there real hope or just blind luck? I like the raw honesty there. No sugar-coating reality. That is life itself. Editor: I agree that Picart captures the complexities of that era so precisely; through careful, fine strokes that feel like calculated statements—and each is there for us to consider as observers. Curator: What to take away, then? Maybe just a little nudge towards cherishing those moments of shade and respite when you find them! Knowing the cart will be right behind. Editor: A sobering and relevant reminder of that old adage. Hope for the best, but prepare for Lady Fortune’s bumpy ride.