Coligny neemt afscheid van Jacqueline de Montbel 1799

Curator: This engraving, titled "Coligny Bids Farewell to Jacqueline de Montbel," was completed in 1799 by Daniel Nikolaus Chodowiecki. It's currently housed right here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: What immediately strikes me is the delicate use of line to create form and texture. There's a real intimacy to the figures despite the precision of the engraving technique. It's balanced and seems like an interior scene from the way the figures gather. Curator: Indeed. The artwork captures a poignant historical moment. We witness the leader of the Huguenots, Coligny, taking his leave from his wife, Jacqueline de Montbel, presumably heading off to engage in religious wars of the time. This separation speaks volumes about duty, sacrifice, and the disruption that religious conflict inflicts upon families. It offers an example of social role expectations during the war era and how this affects domestic scenes in general. Editor: Looking closely, I'm intrigued by the architectural space, which frames and directs the eye to the focal point, the embrace of the main figures. The textures, like those of clothing and background space, create layers in the space adding subtle visual weight. Do you think the architectural context has much to do with influencing the subjects? Curator: Definitely. Chodowiecki cleverly positions the couple in a domestic interior, turning it into a stage for high drama and using social spaces as markers. Editor: I am fascinated with the positioning of the woman in the composition to the side of the main figures who appears to be either looking to walk toward or leave this interior stage altogether, what do you think her function serves to viewers who saw this at the time? Curator: A reminder to be aware of their own position and context, particularly related to your own place in the hierarchy during this moment of uncertainty in sociopolitical unrest. It could have reminded viewers during the Enlightenment era of their responsibility to navigate those circumstances effectively and make choices based on individual reflection. Editor: And on a formal level, all of that contributes to this feeling of both emotional closeness and looming departure, doesn’t it? It is the use of this intimate interior space but using historical figures that the effect works on a multitude of levels! Curator: Exactly. That contrast between public duty and private emotion, meticulously captured in the crosshatching of the engraving, that still makes this print incredibly powerful.