'De Cascade van Narcissus, aan de Oost-zyde van de Groote Tuin', in: Tooneel Der Voornaamste Nederlands Huizen, En Lust Hoven, Naar T Leven Afgebeeld 1660 - 1693

Editor: So, this print from somewhere between 1660 and 1693 is called 'De Cascade van Narcissus, aan de Oost-zyde van de Groote Tuin,' by Carel Allard. The composition and rendering have an archaic and otherworldly quality, and yet it feels incredibly staged. I wonder, what stories does this piece tell from your perspective? Curator: It’s interesting you pick up on that tension between artifice and otherworldliness. This print offers a glimpse into the Dutch elite's constructed relationship with nature, and it's important to remember who this image was created for and who it was meant to impress. What strikes you about the way people are arranged? Editor: They're really just sort of standing there. Some in couples, like props. It looks more like a fashion plate than an actual interaction with the cascade. Curator: Precisely! The waterfall becomes less about the mythological narrative of Narcissus and more about displaying wealth and control over nature. The 'Grand Garden,' alluded to in the title, becomes a theater for the privileged, and this image, this engraving, functions almost like propaganda, normalizing that relationship between the wealthy and this manipulation of landscape. What do you think the role of prints like this were in shaping ideas about status in Dutch society? Editor: I guess it's like Instagram today? Everyone wants to showcase their access to this luxurious lifestyle and assert a sense of belonging in such a group. Except it's not fleeting like today. That idea makes the scene here very intriguing and slightly disturbing. Curator: I find it so, too! And that awareness of the socio-political dimensions interwoven into what appears as a pleasant landscape really underscores the crucial role art plays in mirroring, but also shaping society. Editor: I see what you mean! Now, I see how something that looks just ‘pretty’ is doing much more in its own time. Curator: Exactly. It makes you rethink who gets to create and who gets the luxury to observe in different eras.