Mausoleum opgericht in Westminster Abbey voor de overleden koningin Maria Stuart, 1695 1695

Curator: This is a print from 1695 titled "Mausoleum erected in Westminster Abbey for the deceased Queen Mary Stuart." It’s by an anonymous artist, held at the Rijksmuseum. It looks incredibly ornate, almost like a stage set. What grabs your attention first? Editor: The overwhelming amount of detail, I suppose. All the crowns and sculpted figures feel deliberately excessive, but how does that connect to Mary Stuart? What’s the message behind all of this ornamentation? Curator: Well, consider the medium: an engraving, a relatively reproducible and therefore accessible format. Think about who would have commissioned this. Was it a private expression of grief or something intended for wider consumption? This mausoleum, whether real or imagined, is being presented as a symbol of power, and more importantly, legitimate succession. Notice how the materials depicted—stone, precious metals—are rendered meticulously. Is it to remind us of actual riches or the *idea* of richness and status? Editor: So it's less about mourning a person and more about constructing a narrative around power? The emphasis is on displaying authority, perhaps solidifying the Stuart legacy after her death, instead of focusing on, say, the personal qualities of the deceased. Curator: Exactly. The visual language itself—the repetition of symbols, the architectural scale—suggests a machine for producing meaning. Do you think there's an inherent tension between the purported spirituality of a mausoleum and the blatant display of wealth? Does the print flatten or elevate it? Editor: It does feel contradictory now that you mention it. The engraving’s almost clinical depiction of luxury feels almost critical, even though that may not have been the intention. I never considered how the very act of reproduction in print could itself be a commentary. Curator: Considering art from a materialist angle gives you tools to start questioning seemingly obvious symbolism and thinking about the process and context of its making. Editor: I will definitely consider how social status may dictate art and ways of consuming it.