Tekening uit archief Philip Zilcken c. 1885

Curator: This ink drawing, "Tekening uit archief Philip Zilcken," dates back to approximately 1885 and resides within the Rijksmuseum collection. Editor: Immediately, I see what appear to be…coins? Or mandalas, perhaps? Each one a little universe sketched in minimalist lines, giving me a feeling of archaic wisdom or a forgotten language. Curator: I think your reading is spot-on. Considering Zilcken’s positionality as a white, male artist engaging with Asian art during this period of imperialism, there's a lot to unpack about the orientalist gaze and how Western artists were appropriating and reinterpreting Eastern iconography for their own artistic endeavors. It requires a careful lens on power dynamics. Editor: Agreed, it’s complicated. But on the surface, aren't these geometric shapes contained within circles – possibly referencing ancient Chinese coins and their relationship to the cosmos and terrestrial power? The square within the circle symbolizing Earth within Heaven? Curator: Exactly! Think about how these symbols served to reinforce socio-political power. The representation of currency inherently ties to societal structure and economic control. Were these sketches a study? An attempt to decode a foreign system of value? We can also consider the materiality - the use of ink washes links this drawing back to classical Eastern aesthetics. Editor: The material and the shapes evoke not just a specific economy, but a whole cosmology. Circles for cycles, squares for stability…a system meant to hold order, and possibly transmit it. The script within each circle suggests prayers, or maybe the promise of abundance. Curator: Indeed. And while these symbols carry cultural weight, let's consider their placement outside of their original context and reduced to artistic study. The narrative changes from something active to something observed, examined, dissected by the western world for consumption. This work offers such rich terrain to interrogate this power relationship! Editor: Absolutely, and in examining these appropriations we perhaps glean even greater appreciation for what they stand for and what’s been lost in translation. Curator: I agree. Studying Zilcken's drawing gives us an entryway to appreciate cultural context. Editor: For me, it reawakens the sheer weight of the symbols we so often take for granted in everyday currency.