Nederlandse Gulden in welstand 1922 - 1925

Editor: So, this is *Nederlandse Gulden in welstand*, "Dutch Guilder in prosperity" from between 1922 and 1925 by Patricq Kroon. It’s a pen drawing, almost feels like a political cartoon. The main figure has a literal coin for a head and he's surrounded by… vultures? What's your take? Curator: Vultures, undertakers, perhaps, gathered 'round a fat cat. That "Gulden" head, literally the Dutch currency, puffs on a cigar, champagne flowing – a picture of decadent wealth. I find the pen strokes both precise and expressive, giving each figure, even the peripheral ones, a distinct, almost grotesque character. Note their names delicately written on the images like tags: Vandorp, Pleeger, Dreseelhuy. Consider the timing; just after World War One, the artist clearly conveys something of an anxious and accusatory tone, highlighting economic disparity. Does the modern-day viewer empathise with the bloated guilder, or with his dour watchers? Editor: I see what you mean. They all seem so...hungry. I initially thought it was just a funny image, but now I see a darker message. Is it attacking someone specific, maybe? Curator: Possibly specific figures, known to the Dutch at the time. I love that inscription in old script at the bottom; "Though he feels himself to be weak and dying, it still feels great as a chick," mocking his excesses as those around see him fading away! It also raises questions about who profits from the post-war boom, and at whose expense? Did you spot the signature by “ORION”? I wonder if that's Patricq Kroon or another contributor... a delicious question for you! Editor: Wow, I totally missed that inscription! And all those details... I definitely see it differently now. I'm left pondering the names...and, well, how the "Guilder" probably saw nothing wrong with himself, or the system he benefitted from. Curator: Precisely.