Blaffende hond en blazende kat 1698

Curator: Today, we're looking at a piece called "Blaffende hond en blazende kat," or "Barking Dog and Hissing Cat," an ink drawing created around 1698 by Anthonie de Winter. It’s currently housed in the Rijksmuseum. What’s your first impression? Editor: There's something immediately unnerving about this seemingly decorative drawing. These aren’t animals as much as ornate, perhaps weaponized, symbols. It brings to mind the bestiary tradition but feels like an eerie echo rather than genuine representation. Curator: Absolutely. The animals are rendered in very fine lines, with a striking baroque style infusing them. They almost seem crafted from filigree rather than depicted as living creatures. This emphasis removes the work from the realm of objective representation and pushes into a more symbolic, even allegorical, space. Editor: I'm wondering if there’s a commentary embedded within that ornamentation. Think of the baroque excess, particularly how the Dutch Golden Age grappled with class disparity. Are these "animals" perhaps emblematic of privileged societal structures, their very beings constructed to separate them from what's considered “natural”? Curator: That's compelling. It could be about power dynamics or societal tensions disguised as an animal scene. Think about how animals historically represent societal roles—loyalty for dogs, cunning for cats. What happens when these are encased in elaborate designs? Perhaps their raw instinct is both amplified and confined. Editor: And confined in such a way as to weaponize these animals, to allow them only controlled, aestheticized expressions of aggression or defence. The “hissing” cat, the “barking” dog—it becomes an enactment of control. I’m left thinking, what is it about domestic spaces that make us reflect power? Curator: These questions about power, social anxieties, domesticity and control definitely point to a depth that isn’t apparent at first glance. De Winter has layered image with so much more. Editor: Yes, the beauty in the drawing seems almost sinister now, hinting at complex negotiations of freedom and constraint, of raw emotion masked by artistry. Curator: Indeed. It’s a fascinating reflection on the way symbols and artistic embellishment can mask and reveal power structures. Editor: Leaving us to reflect on how power and representation intertwine, even when gazing upon a barking dog and hissing cat.