Gevecht tussen Reinheid en Geilheid 1710s

Curator: Today we’re looking at “Gevecht tussen Reinheid en Geilheid”, or “Fight Between Chastity and Lust” an engraving from the 1710s by Arnold Houbraken, which you can find here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: Oh, I adore this! It feels so raw and… delightfully awkward. Two cherubs, battling it out—one all delicate with a dove, the other clinging to a very grumpy-looking goat. Curator: It’s a superb example of Baroque allegory, where complex concepts are visualized through symbolic figures. Houbraken cleverly utilizes line engraving to explore themes of morality. The material conditions would've involved careful preparation of the copper plate and precise tool handling to achieve the varying tones. Editor: Right, the medium makes the message, eh? I'm stuck on this poor goat, though. Its fur looks incredibly textured against those smooth little cherubs, creating this amazing push and pull. It looks like it wants nothing to do with this quarrel! Curator: Well, a goat is frequently employed in art to symbolize uncontrolled urges and sexuality—here titled ‘Geilheid’. This directly challenges the cherub who symbolizes ‘Reinheid,’ or purity. Consider how such imagery functions within the social context of its time; it presents moral lessons about controlling desire through recognizable figures. Editor: I see them as just kids tussling – innocently maybe – over something shiny. But, I grant you, the context adds depth to that tussle. This battle between pure ideals and basic urges plays out everywhere, every day, no? Curator: Exactly. The engraving facilitates that conversation by literally embodying it in a format consumable by a wide audience thanks to the print medium's reproductive capability. Its production would have allowed for widespread dissemination and social impact. Editor: It's amazing how this small piece—it looks quite intimate—deals with something so universal and, frankly, messy. Curator: It serves as a potent reminder that many struggles of morality transcend time. Its effectiveness remains not just within aesthetic qualities, but in sparking perpetual self-reflection concerning these tensions. Editor: Yes, and maybe even accepting that the grumpy goat has a point. After all, resisting only breeds better grumpy goats.