Ziekbed 1679 - 1726

Curator: This engraving, dating from sometime between 1679 and 1726, is titled "Ziekbed", or "Sickbed" and is attributed to Abraham de Blois. The artwork currently resides here at the Rijksmuseum. My first impression? There's almost a satirical tone; the details are fascinating. Editor: Satirical is right, though "unease" comes to mind too. The expressions of the people gathered around the supposed invalid—a sly mix of concern and perhaps...anticipation? And the almost gleeful presence of the male figure closer to the center only adds to the intrigue. What about the image catches your attention? Curator: The woman lying in bed initially draws my attention because she looks to be surrounded by what might be interpreted as mocking figures and caricatures. There’s a performative aspect here to grief, a strange staging of sorrow that doesn’t quite ring true, especially with how close the living are congregating around this deathbed. Editor: I completely agree. Let's consider this performance within the socio-historical lens of the era. How do we think class plays into this tableau? Are we meant to read these figures as genuinely distraught, or is something else at play regarding, say, their social status? Curator: Class absolutely informs our reading. There’s a vulgarity, but also a sort of crude energy to the depiction that doesn’t suggest noble refinement or composure, not to mention this would imply a degree of societal decorum that wasn't followed. If this was some great noble's deathbed scene it wouldn't appear this way. Editor: Right. The staging, those faces, the theatrical gestures, this work is not just about death but about what rituals do to grief. And it begs questions of sincerity within very specific social circles, questions that reverberate today. It suggests art as a mirror—distorting maybe, but a reflection nonetheless. Curator: The fact that the print employs such theatrical conventions highlights a societal ambivalence, even exploitation, of such profound personal experiences for communal spectacle, it all reflects the values placed on appearance and perceived importance during the era. It leaves us considering our own attitudes. Editor: Absolutely. And the endurance of those attitudes too! This "Sickbed" doesn't feel particularly distant from our own contemporary performance of mourning, though one hopes we will always strive for the ability to feel sorrow in sincerity for the sake of social cohesion. Curator: A vital point, to foster a shared sensibility toward loss within society and to treat others the way we, ourselves, wish to be treated if ever found lying upon a similar deathbed. It has certainly given me more to ponder.