Twee vazen van rolwerk met vruchten 1516 - 1556

Curator: Well, if that doesn't scream "party favors for Renaissance gargoyles," I don't know what does! Seriously, what do you make of this quirky little print? Editor: It strikes me as unsettling, though the skill is undeniable. These grotesque vases feel almost architecturally unsound, as if defying gravity simply to display... are those turnips? Curator: Haha, turnips and all! This is an engraving titled 'Twee vazen van rolwerk met vruchten' which translates to ‘Two vases of scrollwork with fruit’ from sometime between 1516 and 1556. We don’t know who made it, though it resides here at the Rijksmuseum. What's fascinating is the Mannerist style—so extravagant, really reveling in the bizarre! Editor: Mannerism indeed. The print strains against classical harmony; everything is distorted, elongated. It is trying to hint at underlying structures, and meanings that aren’t apparent on first viewing. Curator: Exactly. Take that strange bird perched atop the vase on the left. Is it a symbol of wisdom? Folly? Maybe it's just a goofy bird they saw in the garden that day! And those faces…are they decorative? mocking? I like how it almost feels like a caricature. Editor: The faces seem almost incidental, fused to the decorative form. They remind me of comments in the margin, reacting to some unseen event. What do you suppose this print would be used for? Curator: Oh, practical matters—likely as a template for other artisans. Jewelers, perhaps, or furniture makers looking to inject a little 'huh?' into their work. Can you imagine this aesthetic on a chest of drawers? Editor: I am not sure I can. This is the epitome of a strange artifact. Its artificiality highlights its construction rather than creating any illusion or transporting its viewer. Curator: True! Though I enjoy its strange sense of humor, this work doesn't so much take you *somewhere* as have you exclaim 'What *is* that?' before tucking the question away for pondering later! Editor: Agreed, that seems a reasonable summary. An exercise in formal excess, but strangely captivating, don't you think?