Arme familie rond een kookvuur 1710 - 1714

Curator: This is "Arme familie rond een kookvuur," or "Poor Family around a Cooking Fire," an engraving from the early 18th century, circa 1710 to 1714, by Jakob Wilhelm Heckenauer, now held in the Rijksmuseum collection. It's a small, meticulously detailed scene, printed in ink on paper. Editor: Mmm, moody! Like a dimly lit stage play. Everyone is gathered around this little island of light… it almost feels like a holy tableau, but grounded in real hardship. What do you make of the setting? Curator: Genre painting, and more broadly narrative art, became very popular at this time, and it became more common to produce scenes illustrating everyday life. Heckenauer offers us an intimate view of this family's humble dwelling, complete with the somewhat surprising inclusion of the horse peering over. These details bring the viewer into their space. Editor: That horse… It does throw you, doesn’t it? The composition has a touch of surrealism despite the everyday subject matter. Maybe it’s just practical—the stable is *right there*. It adds to the feeling of constriction, the family huddled together for warmth, security… or maybe they just got nowhere else to be. It speaks of utter simplicity, stripped bare, yet there’s tenderness there. Look at how that older figure interacts with the child, almost like they are sharing a secret. Curator: Precisely. What Heckenauer offers is also a social commentary on poverty, especially during this period in Europe. He presents not just the surface of poverty, but evokes humanity and familial affection amidst such stark conditions. The print likely served not just as observation, but as a didactic tool within the social contexts of early 18th century patronage and distribution. Editor: I agree completely; in their eyes, their gestures. There's an incredible dignity that resists pity, right? Even though we know that life’s struggle is constant. Instead of melancholy I am struck with a feeling of defiance. That simple meal is sacred. Curator: Exactly. The survival amidst socio-economic difficulties is elevated. And the widespread availability of prints made such scenes all the more relevant within everyday households, spreading the notion of perseverance beyond the church, nobility, and other places in power. Editor: It really does transform the mundane into something eternal. You look at it and think, this isn’t just a snapshot of the past, this is a reflection of what it means to endure…together. Curator: Beautifully put. Editor: A striking composition of shadows and light – this small print holds so much, so glad we paused to consider this one together.