Ruïnes bij Antinoupolis 1830

Curator: Before us is a print from around 1830 by Leendert de Koningh titled, "Ruins at Antinoupolis," currently held here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: The light is absolutely striking—almost a ghostly quality about the whole scene. The ruin speaks so deeply to time passing and of memories slipping away. Curator: It's an engraving, a technique demanding incredible skill and labor. The image would have been etched into a metal plate, likely copper, with each line representing a conscious decision about value and form. Look closely and you'll notice that different types of lines (dots, dashes, longer marks, etc.) and their density creates shading in the print. Editor: Those looming columns! Even ruined, they exude such power. It’s like the ghost of an ancient idea hanging there, shimmering in the desert heat. Is that even heat? Maybe it’s a metaphorical fever dream? Curator: It's fascinating to consider this image within the context of the 19th-century fascination with ancient Egypt and other civilizations. Antinoupolis was a city founded by the Roman Emperor Hadrian. Depicting it in ruins also hints at a colonial desire to excavate, collect and interpret. Consider how these scenes catered to European markets and sensibilities, playing with ideas of a lost world. Editor: There's something inherently sad, almost mournful, about those few people standing there among the columns. Are they travelers? Explorers? Ghosts? And the way they gesture—are they discussing what might have been, what could never be again? Or is this merely de Koningh leading viewers through their tour and visit, acting as guide to his audience? Curator: Prints allowed for wide dissemination, and we can understand them as playing a crucial role in how historical sites become ingrained within broader European visual culture and historical understanding. Editor: It makes me want to book a ticket, you know? Stand where they stood, and try to imagine... to conjure up some sliver of what it felt like. Curator: An interesting perspective that blends art and social history. Editor: Yes, perhaps. This faded dream feels very present, strangely vivid, for something that is clearly, permanently gone.