Man die meel zeeft met een buil 1747

Editor: This is "Man die meel zeeft met een buil," or "Man Sieving Flour with a Bolter," an engraving from 1747 by Frans de Bakker. It has a strangely technical feel, like a page torn from an old encyclopedia. It’s fascinating in its almost clinical depiction of the machine. What strikes you about it? Curator: Clinical is a good word! I find it… endearingly awkward. It's this tension between wanting to be scientifically precise, look at all those meticulously labeled parts, and also giving us this rather stiff figure to operate the contraption. It feels so of its time. This wasn’t just about illustrating a machine; it’s also about depicting labor, fitting nicely into the popular theme of genre-painting. And realism. Though the perspective, especially in Figure 2, feels a bit off, doesn’t it? Editor: Absolutely, that skewed perspective is part of its charm, like looking at an instruction manual translated from another language. What’s your take on the artist's choice of such a mundane subject? Curator: I think that is part of its profound beauty! Here we see labor, elevated by being recorded with a certain level of reverence; Frans De Bakker seems almost delighted to document the modern tools and techniques of his moment. It seems to reflect a societal fascination with progress, which I personally appreciate. So much so that it is an insight into the era's soul! Editor: It’s incredible how much context can be gleaned from what at first glance appears to be a straightforward diagram. Curator: Exactly! What I found to be almost boring and sterile quickly turned into this small little treasure filled with interesting aspects and points of discussion.