Titelblad: Nouveaux Liure de Bersseaux et Trilliages 1702

Editor: So, here we have Daniël Marot’s etching from 1702, "Titelblad: Nouveaux Liure de Bersseaux et Trilliages." The composition strikes me as very theatrical, like a stage set. What’s your take on this? Curator: That's a fantastic observation. The theatricality connects directly to the politics of display in the Baroque period. Think about Versailles; spaces were constructed to showcase power. Marot, a Huguenot designer working in exile, was deeply influential. This image isn’t just about gardens; it's about control, specifically the control of nature, but also how that reflects social hierarchies. How does the rigidity of the architecture play into that, in your view? Editor: It's imposing. The strict lines of the structure really dominate the organic forms of the trees, almost like a statement of dominance over the natural world. Curator: Precisely! And consider Marot’s position. He was designing these elaborate structures while displaced because of his religious beliefs. Does that complicate our understanding of who gets to exercise power, and how? This print becomes not just a design template, but a record of cultural upheaval. Editor: That’s something I hadn’t considered – the artist’s position as a political exile influencing the artwork itself. Almost like an assertion of belonging despite displacement. Curator: Exactly. These gardens weren’t neutral spaces; they were battlegrounds of identity and authority. This print asks us: who designs, who is excluded, and whose story is framed within these meticulously controlled landscapes? What about this work will stay with you? Editor: The tension between the artificial and the natural and thinking about it as a statement on social control has opened a whole new layer of understanding. Thank you!