De toverlantaarn (dl. 3), ca. 1720 1720

This is "De toverlantaarn (dl. 3)" made around 1720 by Jan de Ridder. It is an etching whose intricate linework articulates the scene’s satirical intent. Notice the two distinct registers, each a tableau of social commentary. The upper scene presents a crowded room, perhaps a theatre, where the figures are arranged in a shallow space that pushes them towards the viewer, compressing the social dynamic. The characters seem caught in moments of transaction and exchange. Below, the composition shifts to a horizontal procession across an open landscape. The figures carry symbolic lanterns, their forms bent under the weight, perhaps alluding to burdens or enlightenment. The shift in spatial dynamics and narrative focus invites us to interpret the relationship between spectacle and its consequences, between public display and private burden. The print thus becomes a semiotic field where the artist questions fixed meanings and values within the social structure of his time.