Allerheiligenvoorstelling 1614 - 1683

Editor: This engraving, *Allerheiligenvoorstelling*, dates roughly from 1614 to 1683 and is at the Rijksmuseum. It's grand, definitely Baroque, and quite crowded. What strikes me is how everyone's looking up – what do you make of that? Curator: It’s a powerful expression of the social hierarchy of the time, isn't it? Everyone looking upwards represents a kind of ingrained deference to power, both earthly and divine. Given the likely historical context of the Counter-Reformation, how do you see the depiction of saints and religious figures functioning as a form of social control? Editor: Social control…so the print isn’t just a religious image; it’s making a statement about power dynamics. It feels like there’s a tension, a visual negotiation, happening. Curator: Precisely. Consider also who is being included, and who is being excluded, from this depiction of the divine. What does that tell us about the power structures that the artist – or rather, the patron – sought to reinforce, or perhaps even challenge? The very act of representation is, of course, a political one. Do you agree? Editor: That definitely gives me a new lens through which to view it, making it more than just a scene from religious history. Thank you! Curator: And for me, you have helped to clarify how viewers new to the artwork could initially interpret it, allowing me to respond and give my perspective to more eyes.