Zijaanzicht van Paleis Het Loo aan de kant van de orangerie 1696 - 1718

Curator: Here we have "Zijaanzicht van Paleis Het Loo aan de kant van de orangerie" - or Side View of Het Loo Palace on the Orangerie Side – dating from around 1696-1718. It's an engraving by Cornelis Danckerts II, currently held in the Rijksmuseum. Editor: It projects an atmosphere of cultivated serenity. The monochrome rendering accentuates the stark geometry of the building, and then that striking fountain in the foreground really pulls me in. Curator: Yes, the interplay between the crisp lines of the architecture and the more ornate detail in the garden is key. Danckerts employs a line engraving technique to produce this print, resulting in precisely delineated forms. Consider how that technique informs our perception of order and control. Editor: Which is crucial to the ruling class’s project of manifesting power in built form. We're looking at a specific declaration of Dutch affluence and imperial confidence through architectural design, constructed at a time of global trade wars conducted on the backs of enslaved people in colonized countries. I cannot divorce what appears before my eyes from that ugly history. Curator: I concede your point, and it is necessary that the past not be erased, however I invite the visitor to note that even while acknowledging the power dynamic at play in the historical setting, the linear detail emphasizes symmetry and order. Do you find merit in that visual language? Editor: Absolutely. It would be short-sighted to dismiss the artistry that conveys power with a sort of...coldness, no? It evokes the formality of courtly life; imagine how it was to maneuver in such spaces as a person of color or as a woman with any kind of agency. The print shows this kind of rigid societal hierarchy, embedded in stone, etched onto paper. Curator: A compelling perspective. The meticulous artistry gives form to cultural status, certainly, but as a visual record it gives us a window into artistic intention too. Editor: Agreed, examining both, and remembering that Het Loo continues to be a cultural touchstone, allows us to hold the complex legacies in balance.