Spotprent in de vorm van een ganzenbord, 1867 1867

Curator: What a find. Here we have "Spotprent in de vorm van een ganzenbord," created in 1867 by Johan Michaël Schmidt Crans. It's an engraving, a printed drawing if you will. The image is incredibly intricate. What's your initial reaction? Editor: My initial reaction is one of visual overwhelm, I confess. There are so many faces and little vignettes vying for my attention. It reminds me of a game board, and it's not immediately clear how it all connects. It's busy but fascinating. Curator: Indeed! It's intentionally designed to resemble a 'Ganzenbord', a type of goose board game popular in the Netherlands. It mimics the spiraling path, leading to a central point, which of course holds great symbolic importance, often pointing to journey and destiny. The circular formation itself is powerful and implies totality, which perhaps references unity, or points to other recurring cultural symbols within the imagery of the whole engraving. Editor: Thinking of the time period, 1867, this could very well be a commentary on the political or social landscape. The little 'windows' with portraits give off the sense that the actions of people behind closed doors shape a national journey of the goose game board. What about that prominent figure near square 23, almost draped theatrically across a portion of the game, acting like a border to keep players in? Curator: Precisely! I'm drawn to that figure as well; such prominence! In iconography, the cloak could signal authority. Editor: Authority perhaps challenged or satirized. Given the caricature-like style, it hints that Crans probably had a perspective on figures of power. The imagery resonates with other satires found during periods of political tension, a powerful form of public critique back in the day, circumventing outright opposition to policies that could come with very severe punishments. Curator: What I find truly striking is the use of a game as a format. Games, in many ways, serve as metaphors for life and destiny. I imagine it encouraged the piece’s viewers to look at their society critically; almost a game of fate. Editor: Agreed, it definitely gives people room to reconsider assumptions. Spotprent is a real gem of the collection for me. Curator: The complexity of visual symbolism really allows me to explore multiple meanings with this piece. Thank you.