Vrouwelijke personificatie van werelddeel Europa voorgesteld als vrouw in wapenrusting op stier 1720 - 1772

Curator: This engraving from the Rijksmuseum, made sometime between 1720 and 1772 by Cornelis van Dalen II, presents a female personification of Europe, depicted as a woman in armor upon a bull. Editor: My first thought is of a battlefield; discarded armor scattered below creates an atmosphere of defeat or mourning. Even with the imposing figure and determined bull, a feeling of loss permeates the scene. Curator: The discarded armor is telling. Europe, riding the bull, Jupiter in disguise in the classical myth of Europa's abduction, suggests themes of power and vulnerability intertwined. Notice how the female figure, draped in finery despite the armor, appears contemplative, almost sorrowful. What meaning do you make of the decision to include armor, generally an artifact of masculine toil, on the figure? Editor: For me, its all in the engraving technique itself. It suggests mass production, making classical ideas newly available through accessible imagery. The linear detail, cut by hand into a copperplate, speaks of skilled labor and then mass distributed. Are the classical symbols actually critiquing labor relations or conflict, given the amount of human toil in rendering these ideals through production? It isn’t something painted in oil in private for wealthy patrons. Curator: Interesting. The printing process emphasizes accessibility, but it doesn't necessarily negate the intent of the symbolism. The broken weaponry does seem to undermine any notion of victory through violence, or European valor more specifically. Given the historical context, post the Treaty of Utrecht and the exhaustion from wars of Louis XIV, maybe this isn't glorifying war, but is rather showing the cost to Europe in bodies, landscape, and morale. Editor: Absolutely. We also have to acknowledge that the dispersal of these images had socio-economic motivations: the image supports a trade network and economy surrounding these prints and image circulation more generally. It asks: what work are we as the audience, as consumers, also beholden to in engaging this imagery? Curator: Yes, and even in mourning or allegory, symbolic meanings can both reflect anxieties about and influence the future. Editor: Thanks, that connection between production, symbolism, and cultural mood provides a perspective beyond aesthetic judgments, bringing it closer to daily lived experiences then and now.