Lijkstatie van wijlen Z.K.H. Prins Hendrik der Nederlanden, 25 Januari 1879 1879 - 1881

Editor: This print, created between 1879 and 1881, captures the funeral procession of Prince Hendrik of the Netherlands. It’s… well, it’s incredibly detailed! All those tiny figures, horses, carriages, like an ant farm in mourning. It’s hard to grasp what it's trying to communicate, beyond the event itself. What do you see when you look at this work? Curator: A stage set for remembrance, perhaps? It's got that meticulousness that whispers of official record-keeping, but filtered through, say, a slightly fantastical lens? The repeating motifs -- the horses, the crowds, each carriage like a comma in a long, solemn sentence -- it gives the impression of ritual. Like carving memory into something…rigid. Editor: Rigid? I get what you mean, it's definitely not fluid. Curator: Do you feel that the artist sought to glorify death in a historical genre, to preserve and commemorate the procession of Prince Hendrik, freezing a particular moment in the historical timeline? I think there's a quiet grandeur that elevates it, you know? Not a boisterous glory, but a sense of gravity… Editor: Hmm, true. I initially just saw the factual representation, but the repetition and detail do elevate it beyond simple documentation. There’s something strangely beautiful in all that solemnity, and it does read like an almost theatrical, heightened representation. Curator: Absolutely, it really hits the soul. I might add I’m drawn to its stark beauty and simplicity. So different from our age! Editor: That’s fascinating. It really changed my perspective seeing it that way. Thanks!