Geschoten wild: een dood hert en wilde zwijnen 1646 - 1647

Editor: This is "Game: A Dead Deer and Wild Boar," an engraving by Wenceslaus Hollar from around 1646-1647. Found in the Rijksmuseum, it definitely has a stark, somber feel. The composition is a bit unsettling with all the dead animals piled together. What strikes you about it? Curator: Well, isn't it wonderfully morbid? Hollar captures the stillness of death, doesn't he? I'm immediately drawn to the texture – the coarse hair of the boars versus the smooth coat of the deer. Consider the period – this was a time when the wealthy displayed game as a status symbol. Do you think Hollar is merely depicting a trophy, or is there something more? Editor: That's a good point, the "trophy" aspect. I hadn't considered that. It still feels quite bleak though, beyond just showing off wealth. It almost feels like a memento mori. Curator: Memento mori... indeed. And aren’t those swirling lines hypnotic? Look how he uses them to depict the limpness of the limbs, the slackness of the jaws. What do those lines tell you about the emotional tone Hollar wanted to set? Is it purely objective, a simple record? Editor: I think there's a commentary there, especially with the stark realism. It's not romanticized, it’s just…dead. A blunt reality. Curator: Exactly. Perhaps he's reminding us of our own mortality, couched within the trappings of aristocratic excess. It’s a scene that lingers, isn't it? Rather haunting, in a strangely beautiful way. And in an odd way a rather thought provoking approach to realism! Editor: I agree! I came in thinking it was just a hunting scene, but seeing it as a reminder of death and social commentary adds a whole new dimension. Curator: Art has a funny way of doing that, doesn’t it? Shifting our perspectives. Leaving us a little… unsettled, maybe.