Gezicht op het stadhuis te Schoonhoven, 1733 1757 - 1792

Editor: This is Hendrik Spilman's etching, "Gezicht op het stadhuis te Schoonhoven, 1733," housed in the Rijksmuseum. I’m struck by the formality of it all. The building is meticulously rendered, but also seems so isolated, somehow… what do you make of it? Curator: Well, consider the socio-political function of cityscapes in the Dutch Golden Age. Etchings like this weren’t just pretty pictures. They visually reinforced civic pride and a sense of ordered society, particularly among the burgeoning merchant class. Editor: So, it's like visual propaganda, almost? Curator: To a degree, yes. Think about it: meticulously detailed architecture signifying stability, presented as something to be proud of. But also ask, who gets represented, and who is missing? Note the commoners, perhaps making a transaction in view, with limited representation on the streets and very few if any references to workers. Editor: I see your point. It emphasizes the authority of the governing building, rather than daily life. What's with the seemingly arbitrary date included, when the print was made years later? Curator: Exactly! That's the tension - it records a very particular *moment* and projects this past ideal onto the future as an aesthetic that requires continued societal upkeep and maintanence to last forever. These were produced in multiples; thus they could find audiences far removed from Schoonhoven itself. Editor: So the purpose isn’t pure documentary, but the promotion of certain ideals about societal structure... That is a really good point, it also made me reflect on how such pictures of institutions impact society, that these could very well be symbols of authority! Curator: Precisely! I'm glad that my background in history enriched your experience with this beautiful image. Editor: I never would have looked at it that way. It gives me so much food for thought on Dutch governance and image construction during that period!