Illustratie voor 'Den Arbeid van Mars' van Allain Manesson Mallet 1672

Editor: This engraving by Romeyn de Hooghe from 1672, titled "Illustration for 'The Work of Mars' by Allain Manesson Mallet", it's really interesting! It uses lines to depict a cityscape below an almost diagrammatic shape, it feels almost as if a curtain frames it all... What symbols do you see at play here? Curator: The curtain is a wonderful entry point. Note how it unveils not a theatrical performance but rather strategic city planning intertwined with cartographic projection. It's intriguing that it feels so contemporary while simultaneously tapping into the weight of cultural memory related to cityscape iconography and Dutch maritime power. Do you notice any visual echoes connecting the top geometrical shapes to the detailed skyline? Editor: Now that you mention it, the triangles above seem to mirror how the viewer would percieve this city from certain angles! So this geometrical form reminds me of perspective, how objects become smaller in the background.. Also, those sailing ships carry so much meaning from back then. Curator: Precisely! Those vessels were not merely modes of transport, but symbols of Dutch prowess, reaching back to an era when Holland's “wooden walls” dominated global trade. But even deeper, does that combination of rigid shapes and lively landscape spark any deeper meanings to you? Editor: Hmmm... I would guess this reflects an ambition to control and organise through cartography maybe? Reassuring themselves by codifying and calculating it? Curator: An insightful idea! Indeed. Cartography served not only to chart new worlds, but also to exert symbolic control, reflecting perhaps a deep seated human need to organize and dominate the chaos of lived experience through visual systems. The "image" becomes then a way to establish rule of self and other. What do you make of that banner hovering over the cityscape? Editor: Perhaps its acting like a focal point and maybe calling us to further contemplation... This city sure carries centuries of encoded memory! Curator: Precisely, which is one of the key roles that Images and Iconography has within our culture.