Adjudant van het regiment Zwitsers, 1820-1825 1825 - 1827

Curator: So, here we have Jean-Baptiste Madou’s “Adjudant van het regiment Zwitsers, 1820-1825,” dating around 1825-1827, a watercolour held at the Rijksmuseum. I find its delicate execution quite charming. Editor: It’s quite striking, actually! The precision in the rendering of the uniform is remarkable. What can you tell me about it? How do you interpret this work, in light of Romanticism and Neo-classicism? Curator: Well, let's consider the historical context. We see Neoclassicism in the almost photographic precision and clear lines, striving for idealised form and order – that focus on detail echoes the enlightenment ideals of reason and observation. But look at the *subject*– a military figure. It’s less about an idealized hero than a figure entrenched in social structures, upholding a specific kind of power. How might that challenge conventional Romantic notions of individual freedom and expression? Editor: That's interesting. I hadn't considered the tension between the individual and the military structure it subtly implies. Is that a critique, or simply an observation? Curator: Perhaps both? Madou lived through tumultuous times of social and political upheaval. He likely witnessed firsthand the shifting power dynamics of the post-Napoleonic era. What happens when we consider this officer within the colonial context, where the Netherlands, despite internal changes, maintained its power structure abroad? Does it become something else entirely? Editor: That makes me see this figure in a different light. The uniform, the precision...it speaks to control, not just aesthetics. Thanks, I learned a lot looking at it this way. Curator: Exactly! The layering of these historical and societal narratives makes the image so relevant.