Advertentietekst voor: Johannes le Francq van Berkhey, De Politieke Hollandsche Koemarkt, 1787 1787

Editor: So, here we have an intriguing advertisement, or 'Advertentietekst', for Johannes le Francq van Berkhey's "De Politieke Hollandsche Koemarkt," created in 1787. It's a pen and ink drawing on paper. Honestly, it mostly looks like a page of beautifully handwritten text. What can you tell me about it? Curator: The initial impression is one of intricate detail, yes. Think about how calligraphy itself functions as a symbolic language. Every flourish, the weight of each stroke, contributes to a message far beyond the literal words. What feeling do you get from the overall impression of the writing? Editor: I guess... official? There's a formality to it. But what's the text actually about? What were they advertising? Curator: Exactly. Consider the Dutch Golden Age: there was huge investment in scientific understanding through the detailed study of what's there, and even what is *seen*. They had the ability to use their new tech (lenses, printing) to get an exact image into other peoples hands, at their command! And because their world was their oyster due to Dutch trade dominance, images suddenly held great currency because of the potential power they brought to bear for those in Europe or in Asia, at home and abroad. With the use of the tag of *Genre Painting*, this artwork invites a further dive into understanding how that looks when rendered plainly. Editor: Ah, I see. So even the *act* of producing such a detailed, calligraphic notice signaled a level of importance and wealth. Thanks! I wouldn't have picked up on all that by myself. Curator: The act of documentation becomes imbued with value in itself. So it seems that something as straightforward as marketing of *Koemarkt*, of trade for things to *come to market*, makes this artifact particularly complex now.