Kinderen met blaaspijp en hinkelende kinderen Possibly 1759

Curator: This print, titled "Kinderen met blaaspijp en hinkelende kinderen," or "Children with blowpipe and hopscotch children" as we'd say in English, is attributed to Pierre Charles Canot, and likely dates to 1759. It's an etching that lives here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: The whimsical vignettes grab you right away, don’t they? Almost like peering into two separate, miniature worlds, little stages showcasing children at play. The monochromatic rendering lends a dreamy quality, as if it were a faded memory. Curator: It's fascinating to consider the labor involved in etching. Think of the artist carefully coating a metal plate, meticulously drawing through the wax, then using acid to bite into the metal, layer by layer. There’s a whole economy built around printmaking at the time; Consider the distribution network to get the imagery from Canot’s studio to homes or print shops all around Europe. Editor: It certainly invites a childlike wonder, this world. These scenes – hopscotch, a homemade instrument – feel incredibly familiar, transcending time. But there’s a distance too, watching them like figures in a snow globe. Does that separation speak to the era itself? Curator: The genre scenes provide a glimpse into everyday life of children from that time, but within very elaborate frames— botanical on one side and an intriguing, gnarled tree on the other. Editor: The way those little branches cradle the children makes me think about fleeting innocence—the way the sharp realities of the world begin to pierce those earliest days of play. Each scene feels like a moment about to break, about to fall. I appreciate this artwork, that I keep rethinking what is and how its materials contribute to my perceptions. Curator: And it really makes you question what childhood and play even looked like then. Canot is documenting, but he's also presenting these kids in very controlled landscapes; like he is trying to frame time, so it would remain stuck to a particular instant. Editor: Mmm, yes! I leave this listening experience both aware of the artifice involved and somehow more appreciative of my present materials!