Batavieren en Romeinen in Nederland before 1896

Curator: Here we have "Batavieren en Romeinen in Nederland" a historical print dating from before 1896 and attributed to Gerardus Johannes Bos. What strikes you first about this engraving? Editor: The layout, definitely. It looks like a storyboard, with these vignettes scattered across a map. Almost like episodes from a saga. I am struck by the mood, it feels serious but playful. Curator: Indeed! The print uses imagery and symbols from a foundational national narrative. The map, outlining the Netherlands, situates the Batavian revolt – a pivotal uprising against Roman rule. It suggests a geographical anchor to a specific sense of Dutch identity being constructed. Editor: The symbols are powerful. The repeated imagery of leaders, weapons, battles... each mini-scene seems like a concentrated dose of nationalistic visual messaging, tapping into deep-seated ideas about heroism and resistance, reminiscent of folklore archetypes. Curator: Exactly. How might these depictions reflect or challenge established power structures of the time? I would bet that the Batavian narrative of fighting for freedom from an imperial oppressor became something of a rallying cry, but for which socio-political causes? Who does it implicitly include, and perhaps more importantly, exclude? Editor: Interesting point! Thinking about visual memory, the Roman figures too have certain persistent qualities to them. Even in defeat they radiate the cultural power of that once dominating empire. I see a parallel in the image of the leaders of those peoples and tribes who populate those tales to those that populate these images, which still feels familiar even after so long. It hints at a deeply woven historical mythology. Curator: Yes, this engraving embodies the selective and often ideologically charged construction of a historical narrative. Editor: It's amazing how much historical weight can be compressed into seemingly simple illustrations, full of images that trigger emotions of pride, nostalgia, even resentment. I almost think about the idea of shared collective past, it provides those emotions with some symbols we keep returning to again and again through ages. Curator: Precisely. The relationship between this piece and modern iterations of national and regional pride can reveal powerful insights. Editor: A valuable example then of the complex interplay between images and ideologies and the memory we retain of them.