Gezin bij een verbrand huis 1795 - 1813

Curator: Here at the Rijksmuseum, we have an engraving by Joannes Pieter Visser Bender, titled "Family by a Burnt House." It was created sometime between 1795 and 1813. Editor: The immediate impression is bleak. It is a scene of loss but there's still hope, almost radiating through the figures in the center. There’s destruction in the background, but then also this really determined pose of a family. Curator: Bender's choice of engraving is quite interesting here, it wasn't just about mass production. The very act of meticulously carving the image into the metal plate would have been labour-intensive, reflecting the arduousness of survival for a family who had lost their material belongings. The consumption of the print allows access to view loss in romanticized form in their own homes, but for whom? Editor: That family group becomes iconic then. We see a distinct visual hierarchy—the baby, raised heavenward by the father, becomes an almost Christ-like figure of renewal amidst devastation. Look too, how their loyal dog, and even their livestock, serve as symbolic anchors. The destroyed home represents an almost biblical level of loss but together, they hold firm. Notice how this all interacts with Romantic notions of nature. The powerful, brooding clouds act like a form of pathetic fallacy, mirroring their turmoil. Curator: Certainly, the distribution of such images had social implications. Beyond being viewed as mere art, the function of prints was in their material, reproducible nature; how it allowed the viewers to connect with people undergoing such ordeals and allowed society to connect and sympathize together. But it almost brings out a form of almost consumption of an individual tragedy. Editor: Right. It’s powerful to consider how the symbology—both familial and societal—worked to create that consumption through emotion. Even now, in the age of instantaneous images, there’s a resonant story about the perseverance found in family. Curator: Indeed, Bender's choice to immortalize this moment through a repeatable engraving provides valuable commentary on Romantic notions. Editor: And that exploration allows us, through visual signs and social mores, to reflect on ourselves as people in that society.