Tempel der Vrede, middelpunt van het vuurwerk afgestoken op 9 december 1721 1721

Curator: This engraving, "Tempel der Vrede," or "Temple of Peace," from 1721, is quite striking, isn't it? Anonymous created this using printmaking techniques to depict, ostensibly, a monument celebrating peace. Editor: It's impressive how much detail they packed into a print. It gives me a sense of celebratory public art from a specific historical moment. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Well, as a materialist, I am interested in the political economy that enabled its production. Who commissioned it? Who printed it, and what kind of press did they use? I'd ask, who was this "peace" for, and at what cost to those excluded from the celebratory imagery here? Consider also how ephemeral the depicted firework architecture was, and then how it has been preserved through this engraving – what does that preservation tell us about the materials and the messages attached to it? Editor: So, you're less interested in the aesthetic accomplishment of the print and more interested in the material conditions that made it possible, the labor involved and its socio-political implications? Curator: Precisely. The artistic skill is undeniable, but to truly understand this print, we must also examine the resources it consumed, the artisans who crafted it, and how it functioned as a tool to propagate a specific narrative about peace for this society, obscuring the possible social reality. Editor: That gives me a totally different lens for understanding what this image means. I was focused on the “Temple” depicted and missed how this material representation may also advance specific political agendas. Thanks for clarifying! Curator: My pleasure. It's always a matter of seeing beyond the surface. Considering the raw materials of art challenges how we perceive even something as outwardly symbolic as "peace."