Medaillon met bloemenvaas 1631 - 1686

Editor: We’re looking at "Medallion with Flower Vase" by Jacques Vauquer, made sometime between 1631 and 1686. It's a print, an engraving, and it’s currently housed at the Rijksmuseum. It feels...delicate. So detailed for something so small, and I wonder how the baroque style of the period shows through it? Curator: Delicate, yes, like a whispered secret pressed between the pages of a very old book. And your question about the Baroque—brilliant! Look closely. Do you see how the composition, even within that tiny circle, teems with abundance? How the flowers aren't just sitting, they are almost bursting forth? Editor: Yeah, I notice they seem sort of cramped into that small, round format, they almost exceed the limits of the frame... What's the vase doing there? I see other circular paintings and engravings are vases that don't really need to be in a frame, it seems, from my modern POV. Curator: The vase might serve to ground the composition, offering a sense of stability, yes? But, hmm, also it is maybe subtly contrasting that earthly stasis against the blossoms' vibrant, transient beauty. Vauquer sets the stage but lets life have its messy vitality. Look too how skillfully he modulates light and shadow using only etched lines! That takes real genius. What feelings stir when you spend time with the image? Editor: Well, it’s strange, really, there's this overwhelming amount of beauty, but in a way that also highlights that each bloom will wither one day... Maybe it's the contrast with how much detail there is. So there’s sadness but pleasure in appreciating it at the same time. Curator: A thoughtful point indeed! In fact, the print embodies both: that intoxicating moment, forever frozen. Editor: This was a lot to think about in what looked at first glance a decorative motif, but wow! Thank you so much. Curator: And thank you; you reminded me to drink in the flowers while I may!