Spotprent over de troonrede, 1883 1883

Editor: Here we have "Spotprent over de troonrede, 1883," or "Cartoon about the Speech from the Throne, 1883" by Johan Michaël Schmidt Crans. It’s a pen drawing, a black and white print from the late 19th century, depicting a crowded scene with figures seemingly engrossed in financial matters. I find the drawing slightly unsettling, like a fever dream of commerce. What’s your take? Curator: Ah, yes! It is as if Crans pulled apart the threads of society to examine the warp and weft. Look how the objects are piled up high like anxieties - boxes of cigars labelled "Habana" and "Colorado" – colonial wealth feeding the machine! What do you make of the piano on the right? Does its form remind you of something else? Editor: I see what you mean... a huge cello almost! But what does that signify? Curator: Perhaps, music – art, culture – being played to accompany the financial activity of the nation. Though who knows what discordant music such fiscal juggling creates. The ‘speech from the throne' as theatre perhaps. Don't forget the Dutch East Indies still shaped many Dutch pockets at the time. Are you seeing something more, something I'm not appreciating? Editor: I hadn’t considered the cello as commenting on the political theatre, but that really deepens the context for me! Thank you. Curator: Well, this is how history pricks and provokes. Thank goodness for artists who poke that sensitive skin.