Kader met linksonder het wapen van Den Haag 1884 - 1952

Curator: What a delicate pencil and etching work! This is “Kader met linksonder het wapen van Den Haag” (Frame with the coat of arms of The Hague, lower left), attributed to Reinier Willem Petrus de Vries. The artwork's creation is somewhere between 1884 and 1952. Editor: It gives me the sense of an unfinished dream, the ghostly underpinnings of some grand architectural plan never fully realized. What stands out to you immediately? Curator: Well, the fragmented, almost blueprint-like aesthetic certainly speaks to power structures embedded in urban planning. It highlights the somewhat exclusive nature of these design processes, doesn't it? This artwork uses geometric form, featuring symbolic architecture but is ultimately incomplete. How do the symbols read for you? Editor: Immediately, the stark geometry is punctuated by softer flourishes – those stylized fleur-de-lis motifs soften the rigid architectural lines. It’s a visual dance between precision and grace, and I'm also seeing something reptilian in the Hague coat of arms—evoking something scaly and mythological! Curator: That’s fascinating! Interpreting the reptilian imagery alongside the heraldic shield, what if this speaks to a historical grappling for urban control? Perhaps between tradition and modernity, old money versus new vision. How do the rigid, controlled lines contrast with those more organic, evocative heraldic components? Editor: A tension emerges there, a push and pull. The sketch remains a preliminary framework for what might be. There is some inherent uncertainty, which reflects the fluid state of power and development! It's exciting because we look at the intersection of iconography, urban planning, and latent social and political struggles in this unique piece. Curator: Absolutely. There's a quiet rebellion here, a silent narrative woven into what might initially appear a simple architectural sketch, and hopefully our listeners find themselves with the agency to continue filling out those blanks with more questions of their own. Editor: And for me, this almost unfinished aspect lets us linger longer with each line, allowing it to resonate even further.