Heilige Servatius van Maastricht door engelen ten hemel gedragen 1837

Curator: Ah, another hidden gem in the Rijksmuseum's collection! This is Theodoor Schaepkens' "Saint Servatius of Maastricht Carried to Heaven by Angels," crafted in 1837 with pen and ink. What's your take? Editor: It has the weight of a dream! The swirls of ink give everything a soft, ephemeral quality, like Servatius is dissolving into the light even as angels reach for him. It feels very… longing, if that makes sense? Curator: It does. And consider Servatius' role: he was one of Maastricht's first bishops, a powerful figure connecting the earthly and divine realms. See how the angels are drawn as almost weeping as they lift him, they have the most sorrowful eyes. Editor: Exactly! The weeping, for me, underscores the passage from life to what comes after. I wonder if the artist felt a personal connection with this ascent. Do we know much about his beliefs? Curator: Schaepkens was from a deeply religious background, which probably explains the pathos of it all. Note the visual language of the Baroque--the dramatic lighting, the upward movement, that sense of theatricality, but softened somehow by the delicacy of the medium. Pen and ink give it such a human touch. Editor: It is incredibly intimate. Especially because pen and ink suggest sketches or drawings for something else; however, this stands very complete by itself. I'm also drawn to the details around him, how that soft glow contrasts sharply with some sort of hellish creature trapped in the depths? Curator: A visual metaphor for Servatius’ triumph over earthly constraints, I presume. The angels lifting him above it all—very standard iconography, I imagine, as that’s their literal function? Editor: Precisely, and by his robes you can see clear indications of his role, those give some idea about the real struggles he lived back in the day. Schaepkens chose a compelling moment, that liminal space between worlds, all rendered in such fine lines that you sense both fragility and strength. The dichotomy holds us captive. Curator: It does make you pause and reflect on our own transitions. Makes it intensely relatable, even with the angelic trappings.