Waaiervormig segment met een landschap in een ovaal 1594 - 1635

Curator: Here we have "Waaiervormig segment met een landschap in een ovaal", a print from between 1594 and 1635, made by an anonymous artist. It’s currently held here at the Rijksmuseum. It is a mannerist landscape with a beautiful combination of line and figuration, created using engraving techniques. Editor: Oh, isn’t that delicate! It feels almost like looking through a dream, all wispy lines and floating figures. The composition in the shape of a fan segment gives me the sense of something precious, a secret whispered behind a painted face. Curator: I’m particularly struck by the choice of engraving, which really speaks to the labour and skill involved in its making. Consider the context: printmaking enabled wider consumption of art, blurring the lines between unique artwork and reproducible commodity. Editor: Absolutely, and it reminds me of old botanical illustrations, those intricate webs of ink used to capture a fleeting flower. Except here, it's not a flower, it's a whole world captured in miniature. Do you see how the figures framing the landscape seem to be both holding it and stepping out of it at the same time? It's wonderfully unsettling. Curator: Indeed! And let’s not ignore how the style also relates to the networks of commerce and design of the era. Dissemination through prints enabled artists and craftspeople to adapt these images for use in other mediums such as textiles, ceramics, or even jewelry, revealing the fluidity of artistic ideas at the time. Editor: It is interesting how this seemingly simple fan fragment prompts thoughts about such varied artistic intentions. What a treasure from another time! Curator: Precisely! By appreciating how it’s made and spread we get another glimpse of art beyond aesthetics and meaning, a tiny peephole to the time when this was originally conceived.