Christiansborg Slot 1745

Editor: So, this is "Christiansborg Slot," a print made around 1745 by Johanna Fosie. The details are incredible; it almost feels like a photograph but rendered through painstaking etching and engraving. What catches my eye is the building and how meticulously everyone in front of it is depicted, each person seeming to perform a role in the city's life. How do you interpret this work? Curator: It's more than just a pretty picture; it's a carefully constructed message. Look closely at the procession. Notice anything? Who seems to be in charge, and who are they meant to serve or lead? It's about the divine right of kings and royal display, of course, but also how that imagery serves as a cultural and psychological bulwark against chaos. The lines almost become codes or scripts defining social position and expectation, especially within the royal courtyard depicted in the print. How much of this imagery remains today, do you think? Editor: Hmm, that's interesting. I initially saw the procession as just part of the scenery, almost like extras in a film, but you're right; their placement and postures likely communicate something deliberate. Do you think Fosie’s technical choices—etching and engraving—further enhance those power dynamics? Curator: Absolutely. The stark lines lend a sense of formality, reinforcing established hierarchies. Every mark signifies an unwritten law. Line, viewpoint and grouping construct authority and communicate this, psychologically, to all viewers, then and now. Editor: I never thought of it that way before, how an artistic technique itself can function as a carrier of cultural values. I’ll definitely be looking at prints differently from now on! Curator: Indeed. Understanding symbols allows us to perceive how much historical power continues to shape our current worldview.