Het nieuw vermakelyk ganzenspel 1833 - 1856

Curator: This engraving, dating from around 1833 to 1856, is entitled "Het nieuw vermakelyk ganzenspel," translating to "The new amusing game of the goose." Editor: It's quaint, isn't it? Like a little world neatly contained. The soft palette gives it a gentle, almost comforting aura, despite the strict geometric layout. There's a folk-art feel to the whole design. Curator: Precisely. Games like these are cultural artifacts, aren't they? A sort of playful miniature that encapsulates societal values. Note the little vignettes along the spiraling path—images offering clues to the game's progress, or perhaps acting as tiny moral lessons. Editor: The goose, of course, recurs as a primary symbol, probably connected to notions of domesticity or perhaps even luck. What interests me is the center where people are seated, apparently mid-game. Are we, as viewers, positioned as outside observers looking in on a closed social ritual? Who had access to these type of recreations? Curator: Board games have a long and complex history. They offered, at least in principle, a shared experience across societal levels. While folk art often transcends clear boundaries, elements here denote aspiration, maybe middle-class comforts. Consider also the other animal symbols. The barrel, the little wagons, even the birds are each icons that likely resonate with particular meanings of industry, prosperity, nature... Editor: Definitely, a web of signs speaking to the cultural concerns of the time. It is the architecture that also strikes me, not only it shapes a board game with all its regulations, its barriers, but also stands for our architectural inheritance: the structures we construct reflect our sense of collective memory and aspirations. Curator: That brings to my mind that the visual vocabulary is far more than mere decoration. What looks simply aesthetic is in fact interwoven to traditions in symbolic, complex ways. We see these same forms reappear in other prints, painted furniture, tools, toys, creating a continuous and resonant link to what a population has already experienced and understands. Editor: This engraving offers a fascinating portal. I wonder, as an activist, how we can engage with those deeper symbolisms within the communities now to open more avenues for participation, agency and, frankly, enjoyment. Curator: Yes, perhaps uncovering some old stories will inspire completely new games.