Heilige Elizabeth en het mirakel van de rozen 1823 - 1886

Editor: This is "Heilige Elizabeth en het mirakel van de rozen," or "Saint Elizabeth and the Miracle of the Roses," a print by Hermann Eichens, created sometime between 1823 and 1886. It's housed here at the Rijksmuseum. It strikes me as quite theatrical; what catches your eye about this engraving? Curator: The engraving is fascinating for its engagement with both religious iconography and the material conditions of its production. Consider the labor involved in creating such a detailed print. How many hours of work did the artist expend? Editor: Probably countless, given the intricacy of the lines, especially in the drapery and the roses. Does the choice of print as a medium speak to anything in particular? Curator: Absolutely. Prints democratize images, making them accessible to a wider audience beyond the elite. The “miracle” becomes reproducible, a commodity circulating within a specific social and economic context. Think about who would buy this, where would it be displayed, and what purpose did the image serve. Editor: So it's not just about the religious story itself, but about the spread and consumption of that story through this physical object? Curator: Precisely. Look at the fine details, such as Elizabeth’s garments. Her ornate gown signals a lifestyle funded by labor, perhaps exploited labor. This clashes with the message of charity and humility that the rose miracle represents. It is an irreconcilable tension visualized in ink. Editor: That adds another layer. I was so focused on the “miracle” aspect, I missed the socio-economic tensions embedded in the print itself. Curator: This highlights how the means of production and the context of consumption intertwine with the artistic message. Editor: I hadn't considered how much the materiality of the print informs its meaning. It gives me a new appreciation for engravings as objects, not just images. Thanks!