Wijwaterbak 1659

Curator: At the Rijksmuseum, we're viewing "Wijwaterbak" created in 1659 by Jean Lepautre. The piece, rendered in the old engraving style, presents as an intriguing allegory. Editor: My initial impression is one of overwhelming ornamentation, a dense layering that verges on the baroque, almost aggressively elaborate. Curator: Indeed, the work's defining style *is* baroque! The print showcases an elaborate, decorative cartouche framing a scene with an allegorical figure. Considering the socio-political landscape of the late 17th century, it is compelling to think about the intended audience and what a piece such as this signified to them. Its materiality – the paper and ink – bespeaks access, the affordability of reproducible images spreading symbolic messages wider than singular works of art. Editor: Agreed, the engraving does allow for reproduction. But focus your attention on its internal framework: the cherubic figures at the top, the cascading floral arrangements… structurally, it seems self-referential, decorative above all. Semiotics reveal this impulse-- an emblem is being constructed through symbolic form alone. Does that make sense? Curator: Perfectly, and the question then becomes what that emphasis *performs*. The formal construction carries socio-economic signals; a commentary on luxury and ostentation and religious devotion all packaged into something reproducible and distributable, a sign of the times available at different price points within the market. Editor: I can acknowledge your point while staying that such accessible and even reproducible luxury does not diminish the artwork, for I find pleasure in its play with depth through a singular surface. From that figure's plunging arc toward the ground, that use of line... Curator: I appreciate that attentiveness! In fact, the contrast showcases both a specific engraving method and what it could afford as a method, materially and even in terms of its reach. Editor: Thank you, both viewpoints considered—I am taking so much more away.