Landing van Willem III bij Torbay 1688

Curator: Here we have an engraving dating back to 1688, titled "Landing van Willem III bij Torbay," commemorating William of Orange's arrival in England. It’s currently held at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: The thing that immediately strikes me is how loaded this tiny artifact feels. I mean, it's baroque, so grandeur is expected, but it's all condensed into something you could hold in your hand. Look at the details, every line and texture meticulously crafted on what must have been such a small, unforgiving surface. It feels incredibly charged, politically, materially. Curator: Absolutely. As a print on metal, it speaks volumes about power, and propaganda even. What was once a tool to express creative ingenuity could be seen, now, as something used to shape public opinion, particularly about religious and political tolerance. The image depicts a triumphant lion – an emblem of the Dutch Republic, fiercely guarding Protestantism, sailing ships landing on the English coast... it's brimming with symbolism meant to evoke hope. Editor: The very materiality shouts about its function. Metal endures. Metal coins circulate. Each impression becomes a tool, hammering home the narrative of William’s landing. Consider the labor invested in creating this object. I am interested to understand how these could have been used as tokens for people or perhaps circulated by wealthy sympathizers… were these distributed widely or for the elites? It makes you wonder about the economic backdrop to this whole historical moment. Curator: Fascinating. You are looking into that a bit more deeply and asking questions about things that may have otherwise escaped our attention. It has to do with a transformative event, this landing—a pivot towards religious and civil liberties. To think that such grand aspirations could be captured, and carried, within such a small, tangible form. Editor: And still, what is lost, or silenced, by this kind of representation? What of the other narratives, the dissenters, the complexities ironed out to create such a singular image? This material presence – so assertive, so confident – makes me reflect on all that we don't see within this small, but complex, memento of that specific era. Curator: Exactly! It is about digging underneath to find context. Even the smallest piece of metal holds infinite space inside, and so many worlds to unearth if we decide to delve in a little. Editor: Agreed. Every scratch and line on this engraving now tells a story, from the mines and furnaces that made it, to the hands it passed through, down to this very moment of our gaze meeting its surface.