Meiboom geplant door de Haagse Schutterij, 1764 1764

Editor: This is "Meiboom geplant door de Haagse Schutterij, 1764," a print by Caspar Jacobsz. Philips from 1764, and it's housed here at the Rijksmuseum. It gives off this ordered, almost encyclopedic vibe because of the frame and small scenes. What do you make of it? Curator: Well, first, what a fascinating relic of a bygone era. Look closer: Eight scenes nestled like gems within that decorative border. It speaks to me of the era's fascination with civic duty and classical allegory all at once. Editor: Civic duty, you say? Curator: Absolutely. Think of the planting of a May tree – it wasn't merely a horticultural endeavor, was it? Rather it was laden with symbolism—fertility, renewal, community pride, things to think about with our climate changing! Editor: True. And each individual scene...it’s almost like a story unfolding in separate panels. Is there a kind of narrative to these prints? Curator: It's definitely less linear and more...evocative. It invites the viewer to make connections. Which I think is a very active thing for art to ask. So in scene one for instance, the figures performing libations, seems to celebrate civic life with a touch of classical grandness, and later, it resolves to the rural and the every day. The planting is like…a sacred oath fulfilled. It even looks almost Masonic with all the architectural detail, almost scientific in some ways. And it just has that Old Dutch confidence too it doesn't it. Editor: I see! So it’s less about a sequential story and more about reinforcing this idea of community flourishing, historically, even. So much of the art here touches on everyday life and culture, I find that incredibly accessible. Curator: It shows us a thread linking the present with the past. Isn't it remarkable how much stories and ideas still find ways to connect us across all these generations?