Preekstoel met rocailles 1740 - 1762

Editor: So, here we have "Preekstoel met rocailles," or "Pulpit with Rocaille Ornament," an engraving dating back to somewhere between 1740 and 1762 by an anonymous artist. The work is at the Rijksmuseum. Honestly, it reminds me of an elaborate wedding cake—intricate but slightly austere in its black and white rendering. What grabs your attention when you look at it? Curator: Wedding cake indeed! Or perhaps a bizarre beehive designed by someone who's been reading too much Edgar Allan Poe! What strikes me is how this print captures the spirit of the Baroque so well. See the exuberance? All that ornamentation pushing against the very idea of simple form? It's a celebration of artifice. Do you feel how the geometric framework fights for attention against all those swirling Rocaille flourishes? Editor: I do! It's like a visual tug-of-war! So, the Rocaille is like...the icing? Just pure decoration? Curator: Precisely! Rocaille embodies the love for playful curves and asymmetrical design. It's like the artist took nature – think seashells, pebbles, and that – and stylized it into decorative motifs. But what is interesting is this print may be a design proposal. Not necessarily an existing piece. Do you agree this changes how you view the work? Editor: Definitely! That shifts my perspective. It is as if this is a blueprint, not an illustration of something. More exciting this way. Like glimpsing a secret. I will be looking at baroque designs with a new interest from now. Thanks! Curator: My pleasure. For me it really confirms the artist’s imagination as an inspirational catalyst. This is their way of conjuring up a bold vision, of playing with ideas and possibilities that push architecture into uncharted realms! It really makes you think.