Vestingplattegrond van Schenkenschans c. 1649 - 1710

Curator: Here in Gallery 12, we have an intriguing work: "Vestingplattegrond van Schenkenschans," or "Fortification Plan of Schenkenschans," a detailed city plan rendering from somewhere around 1649 to 1710, by an anonymous artist. It’s crafted with ink on paper, using engraving techniques. What's your first take? Editor: Claustrophobic, if I’m honest. Look at the geometry—all those sharp angles and defined boundaries pressing in. It's fascinating but also feels very...controlled. Curator: Yes, the formal constraints are certainly present. Consider the line work, for example. It is incredibly precise, mapping out every street, building, and defensive structure within the fortress. You see how the outer walls create a star-shaped pattern? That was no accident. Editor: Star-shaped...right, to deflect cannonballs. It's a cold, strategic beauty, I guess. Do you think someone living there would feel comforted by such order or stifled? Because the space *within* the fort, shown by the town layout, it's another geometry, where all houses have identical rectangles. Is the artwork's beauty, somehow, that everything fits snugly, almost like a puzzle or one organism? Curator: Interesting, it becomes an extension of themselves...The Dutch Golden Age was really developing advanced military defenses, as we see the shape in this map; that geometrical element creates a harmonious blend of practicality and form. One of my favorite elements is the depiction of the surrounding waters with tiny ships, which adds context to the defensive positioning. Editor: Right! And this element makes me imagine standing outside the wall; but not in war: more like staring with child's curiosity to those inside of it. Like an insect trapped on a bottle: you admire their small movements, and are in absolute control of the borders around it, even feeling sorry, but also, you acknowledge you do not want to change spots. Curator: It's funny you should describe it in this way, it's so right on the spot. It reminds us how such artistic pieces go way beyond historical accuracy: they encapsulate power, human spirit and perception as well. Editor: Absolutely, it prompts you to imagine and relate it with present things...A surprisingly intimate map, in the end. Curator: Well, let's hope our listeners found the trip around Schenkenschans as intriguing as we did!