Nederlandse Maagd en de Nederlandse Leeuw in een geornamenteerde omlijsting met een kroon, twee leeuwen en het jaartal '1864' 1864 - 1912

Curator: Here we have an engraving from the Rijksmuseum's collection, attributed to Isaac Weissenbruch, though its creation is somewhere between 1864 and 1912, showing the Dutch Maiden and Lion. Editor: My initial impression is… official. Severely so! All heraldry and right angles, stiff as starched linen. Gives me the feeling of an old certificate, or a particularly serious beer label. Curator: In essence, it *is* a rather embellished trademark label for the "Nationale Z&BA Comp," some sort of manufacturer. A juxtaposition, then: national symbolism inextricably linked with industrial branding. Look at the plumes of smoke billowing in the background… the fruits of labor perhaps? Editor: Exactly! This isn't just some quaint nationalistic symbol. Consider the labor that goes into creating this engraving—the craftsman meticulously etching these fine lines. Then, imagine the mass production of this emblem on various products, facilitating consumption and branding of identity. It speaks volumes about 19th-century commodification. The very act of engraving *is* industry. Curator: I see your point, of course. But maybe it's more whimsical. The lions, they’re puffing away on pipes. Almost gives the whole composition a sly wink, don't you think? An acknowledgment of the inherent absurdity of grand symbols meeting the everyday tin can. Editor: Whimsical? Perhaps only from a 21st-century remove. These intertwined emblems reinforce national identity. They also bolster market power through a visible stamp. We see pride made profitable. Curator: And there's the rub, isn't it? Does celebrating national identity require selling…well, something? Maybe Weissenbruch himself found humor—or melancholy—in that question, embedding his subtle comment amidst the lions and crowns. It does makes me consider how we intertwine labor, image and nation still today. Editor: Definitely a provocative merging of the monumental with the mundane, rendered through a tangible and meticulous process, not at all a whimsical choice I imagine. Thank you.