Gelijkenis van de wijze en dwaze maagden 1558 - 1565

Curator: Ah, here we have "The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins," an engraving crafted somewhere between 1558 and 1565 by Philips Galle. This piece resides here at the Rijksmuseum, wouldn't you know? Editor: My goodness, what a bustling scene! It’s quite a sobering image actually; a world divided between revelry and industrious preparation. Are we peering into the bedrooms of these women, perhaps? Curator: You’ve got a sharp eye for that contrast! Indeed, Galle here encapsulates the biblical parable through meticulous detail and composition. Notice how he contrasts the lower earthly activities, spinning, music making... against this, ethereal realms above – staircases ascending to salvation. Semiotically, we see a rigid bifurcation in conduct with respective spatial representation in his work. Editor: So it's not just about busyness then. It feels more pointed, almost accusing, doesn’t it? Some labor towards virtue in simple devotion, while the carefree stumble towards inevitable sorrow as time elapses into nothing, as nothing has prepared them! I wonder... did Galle believe we could always tell which path we were on? Curator: Well, Galle imbues his scene with symbolic cues. Oil lamps, empty or full, tell of preparedness or negligence. But consider that the women are indistinguishable from one another in a way; we see they were all maidens initially, equally situated in proximity; we are never assured which maiden we resemble until judgement! Perhaps it’s a reminder that judgement demands both action and a reckoning for what it yields. The text beneath reminds them and us "Give us some of your oil; for our lamps are going out”. Editor: Oh! That hits hard. This isn’t just a historical print. I suppose that timeless tension still hangs over us today. Perhaps these chambers in our contemporary can assume more metaphorical representations. Whether it may be academic endeavors, religious rituals or anything that seeks out moral justice. I understand now how this timeless warning lingers! Curator: Indeed. A little oil, or forethought, goes a long way... I’d suggest it is an apt consideration for any wandering mind as one departs these galleries, do you agree? Editor: Positively. Galle manages to say something pertinent across time itself through his brilliant detailing of life and consequence. What a reminder this little engraving is; now that, indeed, is true artistic dexterity.