Kaart van de rivier de Lek (tweede deel) 1764 - 1765

Curator: Standing before us is "Kaart van de rivier de Lek (tweede deel)," or "Map of the Lek River (second part)," dating back to 1764-1765. The artist is Isaak Tirion, and the Rijksmuseum holds this drawing and engraving. I immediately think of a muted sonata when I look at this piece – pale and precise. What’s your take? Editor: A pale print, definitely. Though for me, this isn’t so much a sonata, as a ledger – carefully rendered with practical intentions. What was the print run for maps like these, I wonder? Did they use watermarks, and how consistent was the paper quality? The economic infrastructure interests me more than its pictorial aspect at first glance. Curator: You know, that’s interesting – because to me, maps are always invitations. I immediately think of standing at a shore, and plotting expeditions from my living room. All these careful little lines suggest an artist-as-explorer, mapping a world both known and unknown to him. What can you tell us about Isaak Tirion? Editor: Tirion was very prolific. A Dutch publisher, printmaker, and bookseller active in Amsterdam, specializing in maps and geographical works. These maps were products, often for the wealthy burghers or to aid merchantile exchange. And you know, these lines you find so poetic speak to a very meticulous production. Each line of engraving representing labor – hours spent etching the copperplate to reproduce these images effectively, in large quantities. Curator: It's interesting how one thing leads to another. Perhaps Tirion, while creating something intended to simply guide others, couldn't help but imprint the work with a layer of… dare I say… feeling? The precise technique actually invites one to explore every winding little stream and farm – an almost dreamlike journey! Editor: A "dreamlike journey," as you so beautifully put it, rooted in real estate, boundaries, navigation, and trade. These aren’t airy visions, but instructions about where a merchant can go and how goods can get from point A to point B, but, hey, both can be true at once! Curator: Absolutely, like two rivers converging! I appreciate the chance to view it through a production-based lens. Editor: Likewise! This has deepened my appreciation of how economic function and aesthetics have intertwined through the ages!