Wapenschilden en helmen 1647

Curator: Editor: We are looking at “Wapenschilden en helmen”, which translates to “Coats of Arms and Helmets,” an engraving and etching from 1647 by Samuel Bernard, housed in the Rijksmuseum. I find the intricate details mesmerizing. How would you begin to interpret such a piece? Curator: Well, first, isn't it incredible that something created nearly 400 years ago can still speak to us? For me, this print feels like peering into a secret language, a codified system of status and lineage. It’s like the artist is inviting us into a world governed by symbols. What do you make of that overwhelming amount of information and detail? Editor: I do find it rather dense and somewhat intimidating! Are we meant to read it like a historical document? Curator: In a way, yes, though I see it more as a cultural artifact reflecting the social structure of the 17th century. Bernard meticulously presents a hierarchy through these coats of arms and helmets, each element telling a story, often of power, ancestry and allegiance. I can almost feel the weight of tradition embedded in those swirling lines! Does that change how you look at it? Editor: Absolutely, understanding it as a reflection of societal structure brings a new dimension. It’s no longer just an overwhelming visual, but a structured representation of a world I’m only beginning to understand. The fact that these very precise systems existed... amazing. Curator: Precisely! And perhaps a little comical as well. What I find rather striking is to think of who it was speaking to, its intended audience – that little group of elites in on the “secret”. Does that invite other interpretations to mind, knowing that bit? Editor: It definitely shifts my perspective. I was so focused on the image itself, now I realize there’s an entire world *around* the image that's just as important. Thanks, I'll never look at heraldry the same way.