Ontwerp voor een oorkonde van de Nederlandsche Maatschappij voor Nijverheid en Handel, met engelen en aan nijverheid gerelateerde objecten 1921

Editor: Here we have Carel Adolph Lion Cachet's "Ontwerp voor een oorkonde van de Nederlandsche Maatschappij voor Nijverheid en Handel, met engelen en aan nijverheid gerelateerde objecten", a 1921 linocut print currently held at the Rijksmuseum. It strikes me as an odd blend of archaic symbolism and industrial imagery. What is your interpretation of this certificate design? Curator: It is an intriguing piece! The image reflects a tension between tradition and modernity, characteristic of the socio-political climate following World War I. Notice the Art Nouveau style, still lingering in 1921, yet now coexisting with a push towards industrial advancement, suggested by those “aan nijverheid gerelateerde objecten.” This "Nederlandsche Maatschappij voor Nijverheid en Handel" was an organization invested in promoting Dutch industry and trade. Editor: So the angels represent a sort of divine endorsement of industry and commerce? Curator: In a way, yes. However, consider the political role of such imagery. By linking industry to a visual language of morality and even divinity, the certificate presents industrial progress as a cultural and even spiritual imperative, designed to gain public trust. Who wouldn't support progress if blessed by angels? Editor: That makes a lot of sense. So, it's not just a pretty picture, but a carefully constructed argument about the value of industry in Dutch society? Curator: Precisely. Lion Cachet’s design cleverly deploys visual rhetoric to legitimize the endeavors of this society in a time of huge rebuilding and restructuring after WW1. Editor: I never considered certificates as potentially loaded political tools before. Curator: That is a useful takeaway for me as well, since now I have gained a fresh understanding that Lion Cachet used his expertise to blend familiar symbolism with social responsibility and economic stability to encourage positive change through design.