Gezicht op een markt te Jerevan 1847 - 1855

Curator: Take a moment to consider this print, "View of a Market in Yerevan," by Adolphe Mouilleron, likely created between 1847 and 1855. It's currently held here at the Rijksmuseum. What’s your first take? Editor: A dense, almost swarming, scene! I’m immediately drawn to the tunnel-like architecture and the mass of people contained within. There is a lot to unpack. The values seem to indicate there may be a main street outside in the sun, beyond those stone arches... Curator: Indeed, it’s fascinating how Mouilleron uses engraving to convey light and shadow, wouldn't you say? But focusing on what's on offer; textiles, maybe even some raw materials are suggested in the marketplace depicted. And who would be purchasing, commissioning...? Editor: The texture achieved is astounding. You see the rough-hewn arches—implying so much labor! And all those swirling patterns of the fabrics, of turbans. Engraving allowed Mouilleron to evoke all these textures through a commercial medium which raises so many thoughts about the democratization of images, travel, and knowledge. Curator: Knowledge dissemination—a keen point. You are drawn into the crowd through this amazing archway... I find myself wandering who these people might have been. A momentary portrait of life frozen in time! It begs the question, did this work reinforce orientalist stereotypes or was it genuinely empathetic? Editor: It is definitely food for thought: look how deliberately they placed the armed guard, presumably, in the street adding to a heightened, imagined contrast, safety in shadow, with open danger in the bright outdoors... It could be argued, perhaps, this is what made it sellable... An attractive sense of tension for consumers of exoticism. Curator: And here it is. A moment lifted out of what we think everyday life was like. Consider it, that interplay of material and meaning – from metal plate to bustling marketplace – centuries after its creation. Thank you. Editor: Definitely worth considering those original consumption motives and its lasting effects. An amazing find!