Dode muis, sandaal en boegbeeld van een schip 1867 - 1890

Curator: I find myself oddly captivated by this small, shadowy etching from the late 19th century. It's called "Dead Mouse, Sandal, and Figurehead of a Ship" by Philip Zilcken, currently residing here at the Rijksmuseum. Made with pencil and etching techniques on paper. Quite an unusual still life. Editor: It definitely evokes a strong sense of the melancholic, almost a memento mori compressed into miniature form. The high contrast against the detailed lines lends the image weight. Curator: Precisely. Consider these seemingly unrelated objects—a dead mouse, a lonely sandal, and a ship's figurehead fragment. It's as if Zilcken’s captured the fragmented relics of ordinary, overlooked lives. It's incredibly dark and rather intriguing, don't you think? Editor: Absolutely. Mice often symbolize humility and the transient nature of life; a single sandal speaks to journeys incomplete. The ship's figurehead, however small here, suggests aspirations dashed against the rocks. Put them all together, and suddenly it starts reading like an allegory. Curator: A potent combination. And Zilcken’s technique mirrors this sensibility – the light pencil work lending itself well to capturing these mundane, decaying items. I feel there’s a narrative being hinted at here, something slightly morbid, of course. Editor: True, etching as a medium lends itself so well to expressions of decay and fleeting time, like the ink itself is mirroring dust, dirt, forgotten memories... Curator: It really makes you consider how things lose their significance over time; even something as grand as a ship ends up fragmented and meaningless as its bits. The mouse had the most relatable life if one could even imagine! Editor: That's what holds me; objects divorced from their narratives carry the weight of forgotten stories. And the image holds us in the middle. It feels surprisingly contemporary, like a subtle commentary on consumerism. Curator: Maybe we should spend more time pondering what truly matters, don’t you think? Zilcken leaves you lingering between beauty, disgust and existential ponderings. Editor: Indeed. An odd selection for this show, perhaps, but an unforgettable work. It whispers when it could shout, hinting that even the smallest still life contains a universe of symbols.