Tekstblad bij boekillustratie 1723

Curator: It feels so grounded and purposeful, doesn't it? Utilitarian, even. Editor: Indeed. We're looking at "Tekstblad bij boekillustratie," or Text Page for a Book Illustration, dating from 1723, engraved by Roeland van Leuve. What's your initial reaction? Curator: All those official-sounding names lined up so neatly...it gives me the sense of empire. Very Baroque. This need for clear pronouncements and lists. Like claiming a place on the page, which reflects claiming spaces in the world. Editor: The typography is deliberate; each word is meticulously rendered. Note how it presents five locations, primarily houses and warehouses. The emphasis here is surely the "Ooft-Indiſch," referencing the East India Company, and its presence in Amsterdam. Curator: Exactly! The repetition is powerful. Like a drumbeat. "Ooft-Indiſch," "Ooft-Indiſche"... It almost chants itself off the page and into history. I feel this push toward the new. It's the dawn of globalism in a way. Editor: I find myself contemplating the power of language itself here. Words acting as markers, as claims, even as spells, if you will, to conjure up the spirit of these institutions. Think of the weight each location holds, both then and potentially, for viewers now. Curator: It makes me think about how we define "illustration." It's not a picturesque landscape, no figures posed artfully. This IS the picture! The raw architecture of language, building an image of power. Editor: This page, in essence, functions as a map, guiding readers not just to places, but to ideas about trade, dominance, and the very construction of place through nomenclature. What an age, so hopeful and blind at once. Curator: And so easily read on the page. Almost like it’s an early, early billboard, or search engine results, all clean and listed! History reduced to key locations. Editor: It leaves us with much to ponder about the symbology inherent in urban planning and the language we use to build and remember the world.