Rechtbank in China en Abbesinië 1682 - 1733

Curator: What an arresting composition, all teeming lines! It almost vibrates with curiosity, doesn’t it? Editor: Indeed. We're looking at an engraving titled "Rechtbank in China en Abbesinië" or "Courts of Justice in China and Abyssinia" by Romeyn de Hooghe. Created sometime between 1682 and 1733. It’s a double scene laid out side by side. Curator: I immediately zoom in on those two vastly different settings, practically worlds apart in how justice is visualized, wouldn't you say? The Abyssinian side looks so... exposed, immediate! Editor: Precisely. De Hooghe utilizes the visual language of Baroque art to present a comparative study. Note how he emphasizes spectacle—dramatic drapery, a multitude of figures. On the left, a rigid, hierarchical order characterizes the Chinese court, symbolized by the towering throne and the neat rows of attendants ascending toward it. Curator: And the Abyssinian court? More... theatrical? Raw? Those kneeling figures evoke a sense of pleading and vulnerability—a gut reaction more than a ceremony, it feels. Editor: I would not disagree. De Hooghe shrewdly contrasts architectural styles, for one. The implied structure is crucial to the artwork; its use speaks volumes about the power and administration inherent in each society. Also consider how De Hooghe utilizes negative space—it is limited in the composition but creates such depth and order in each side, which allows the viewer to clearly identify which elements make up Chinese law versus Abyssinian justice. Curator: Makes you think. I wonder if folks looking at it then understood themselves, their assumptions and preconceptions about other cultures, any differently through that very contrast... The very act of putting them side-by-side shouts "Look closer!". Editor: That remains a potent effect even today.