Wapenschild van familie Slicher, omringd door vier allegorische figuren 1702 - 1759

Editor: This is "Wapenschild van familie Slicher, omringd door vier allegorische figuren," made between 1702 and 1759, and attributed to Jan Wandelaar. It's a print, an engraving on drawing. I’m really struck by the composition and how all the different figures are arranged. What stands out to you when you look at it? Curator: I notice immediately how the image strives to resolve itself into pure, geometrical forms. We have a central triangular element intersected by strong horizontal lines formed by the figures and their attributes. See how the lines are echoed throughout the landscape background and reinforce that planar composition? Editor: I hadn't considered it geometrically before, but now that you mention it, that central triangular shape created by the background and then echoed in the heraldry really does dictate how you read the image. Curator: Precisely. And consider the light. It's not just about illumination; it delineates form. The areas of deepest shadow highlight the key structural components. Notice, too, the repeated use of line – how Wandelaar employs line as both contour and texture. Editor: So it’s less about what the heraldry symbolizes and more about the structure and formal qualities that Wandelaar employs to create a balanced work of art? Curator: Exactly. It's in this interplay of line, form, and light that the true meaning, the *being* of the work is revealed. What is particularly striking, from this perspective, is Wandelaar's capacity to bring harmony among what at first glance might appear as rather incongruent forms. What have you learned by this methodology of interpretation? Editor: I learned that by shifting away from the historical context or symbolic meaning, it’s possible to see an entirely different layer of depth related to design.