Kind tussen twee engelen met wetstafelen 1590 - 1624

Editor: This engraving, "Child between Two Angels with the Tablets of the Law," is by Boëtius Adamsz. Bolswert, created sometime between 1590 and 1624. The texture created through these delicate lines is amazing, and evokes a solemn but whimsical mood at once. What do you see in this piece that stands out to you? Curator: It is precisely this seemingly whimsical character that interests me. We see an angel child presenting the law, but there are also a myriad of creatures in the landscape--an ox, a horse--evoking, perhaps, an allegorical rendition of paradise before the Fall, that’s soon to be disrupted with a knowledge of rules? Note also how the second child seems to have arrows hanging from their hips... what are they aiming at? And could that coiled serpent around them be representative of disruption in waiting? Editor: That's interesting. So the idyllic scene might actually be laden with hidden meanings? It looked so simple at first glance! Curator: Precisely! Think of how often visual symbols are designed as triggers. This imagery carries the weight of theological constructs about innocence, knowledge, law, and earthly paradise all in this tiny print! This wasn't created for simple viewing; it's meant to inspire contemplation. The ox and horse remind viewers of the pastoral lifestyle, evoking Biblical imageries as moral reminders for maintaining simplicity. The real question for the viewer becomes-- are you paying close enough attention? Editor: I had not considered those potential meanings. Thank you for highlighting those layers. Now I see a wealth of themes beneath what appears to be, at first, a simple scene.