Vase (rolwagen) with a warrior waiting on his horse c. 1635 - 1650

Curator: Standing before us is an exquisite ceramic rolwagen, a vase, made around 1635-1650, from an anonymous artist. It’s currently held in the Rijksmuseum. The decoration presents a warrior, patiently waiting astride his horse, surrounded by figures in a courtyard setting, all rendered in characteristic blue on white. Editor: The blue is so incredibly evocative! I get this feeling of serene stillness. Like the air before a big storm, all that cobalt against the stark white... almost dreamlike, really. Does that warrior ever actually *go* anywhere? Curator: That tension you feel speaks to the context of Ming-dynasty porcelain during that period. The image alludes to social hierarchies, military power, and perhaps, even political anxieties that would permeate life. We can analyze how the iconography here relates to existing gender dynamics and performative masculinities. Editor: See, I think he's bored. Just waiting, like all us, for the drama to actually kick off. Do you think the flowers at the bottom are to keep him occupied? "Oh look, something pretty!" Also... who chose *that* horse? Looks tired before the quest begins. Curator: We could suggest those botanical images could connect us with social power. As representations they were cultivated and controlled as signifiers of luxury, echoing into the socio-economic contexts embedded within each artistic choice. The Dutch East India Company would also have factored in production values, cultural reception, and how trade routes themselves constructed global hierarchies during colonization and imperial expansion. Editor: Wow, I was only thinking the gardener should have trimmed more, but now that you say it… it sounds kind of amazing to examine it that deeply. For me it seems a lovely image, very calm – and a moment suspended in time that really intrigues. Curator: Absolutely, it offers an entry point. By bringing theory and critical thinking to the vase we may contextualize a potent mix of aesthetics, politics, and identity—broadening interpretations within historical power structures. Editor: Yeah, well... Next time, remind our guy on the horse to take the day off! Let’s find some art where *I’m* the one sitting on top. Curator: Precisely. That perspective itself invites another story!