'k Wed / kindren! dat ge om deze prent / bij 't eerst beschouwen / lacht / Zoowel om snaaksche kleedertooi als China's tentenpracht [(...)] 1831 - 1854

Editor: Here we have "'k Wed / kindren! dat ge om deze prent / bij 't eerst beschouwen / lacht / Zoowel om snaaksche kleedertooi als China's tentenpracht [(...)]", an etching and engraving printed between 1831 and 1854 by Erve H. Rynders. It’s a real mishmash of little scenes. The colors are strangely cheerful given the subject matter; there's a touch of fantasy. How do you interpret it? Curator: Fantastical indeed. This print is steeped in Orientalism, that 19th-century Western fascination, or rather projection, onto the East. Look at the bizarre costumes, the "China's tentenpracht", as the title suggests, and that wonky architecture. It’s like a dream of the Orient filtered through a very Dutch lens. Do you notice how the artist clumsily mixes genre-painting with cityscapes? Editor: Yes, now that you point it out, those separate panels almost read like comic strips, although the narrative isn’t exactly clear. There’s also a sense of distance. The figures look isolated within their little scenes, don't you think? Curator: Precisely! And that distance reveals something about the cultural moment. There's curiosity but also a clear sense of 'otherness'. We, the Dutch, observe from afar. The figures, dwarfed by the buildings, by the landscape, are figures in someone else's imagined play, rather than fully rendered citizens. What do you make of the framing of each tableau? Editor: Each frame feels like a tiny stage, a different act in the play you mentioned. Seeing them all together makes you realize it's the product of one imagination. I hadn't really picked up on the undercurrents of Orientalism here until now. Curator: It is funny how, upon reflection, the artwork and title end up as more than initially meets the eye. Perhaps now our listeners will reconsider their first viewing.