Kroning van de Maagd Maria 1665 - 1698

Curator: Looking at this print, I get a sense of…serenity, like everything’s floating upwards. It's all quite airy. Editor: Well, that's a fitting response. Here we have Johann Jakob von Sandrart's "Crowning of the Virgin," a Baroque engraving made somewhere between 1665 and 1698, currently residing here at the Rijksmuseum. Its theme blends figuration, religious history, and a touch of allegory. Curator: Allegory definitely plays a role. I see God the Father and Christ hovering above the Virgin, ready to crown her queen of Heaven. The movement created by the clouds swirling up and around is simply stunning, although I think that the rendering of those two old blokes down below is bit wonkier, slightly out of sync with the scene playing out above them. It's not as effective as those hovering god figures. Editor: The two figures below—saints or prophets, perhaps—anchor the composition. And the stark contrast of that linear detail characteristic of engravings like this directs our eyes upwards, inviting contemplation. I mean, think about how the engraving medium affects the image – sharp, precise lines defining every form and drapery fold, adding to the dramatic and didactic tone so emblematic of Baroque art. It is history as grand theater, where lines carry emotion and conviction. Curator: It's history made to tug at your heartstrings. Makes you wonder, what was Sandrart thinking when he created this? Was he aiming to just illustrate a theological doctrine? Or trying to offer viewers some visual stairway to paradise through sheer artistic drama? Or maybe even poke fun at some earthly follies by contrasting the two worlds! I could swear, sometimes the most sincere art has a wicked smirk hiding inside. Editor: That’s why studying its form offers a pathway. If you follow that line, its narrative of transcendence becomes strikingly clear, even if we find our own path of getting there, no? Curator: Fair enough. I guess this stairway really does lead somewhere different for everyone. Editor: Indeed, Johann Jakob certainly managed to get under my skin on this piece, with the dramatic interplay between divinity and earth through skillful lines and grand Baroque aesthetic. Curator: Totally! Maybe I'll crown myself the Queen of my living room tonight… Just kidding… maybe!