Kroningsoptocht, 1689 1689

Curator: This print is titled "Kroningsoptocht, 1689" by Pieter Pickaert, dating back to the year 1689. It exemplifies the baroque style through the medium of engraving. Editor: Wow, look at that! It reminds me of a meticulously crafted anthill, swarming with figures, all bustling with purpose. What exactly is a "Kroningsoptocht" though? Curator: Well, that's Dutch for "Coronation Procession." What we see is a historical depiction of such an event. Looking at it through a critical lens, the very notion of coronations involves complex systems of power and inherited privilege. Editor: Power, definitely. Just looking at how the figures are arranged – the important people are at the top, under that canopy-thing, and everyone else just…follows. Still, I am just kind of digging all the tiny little faces, all these 17th-century dudes in hats...Makes me want to draw cartoons about it. Curator: Indeed, that staging is deliberate and symbolic. One could argue this print not only documents an event but also reinforces the social hierarchy of the time. Consider how visual culture, especially in the Baroque era, played a significant role in shaping perceptions and validating authority. Who holds power and how is this perpetuated? Editor: I get it! I just... there’s something charming about seeing so many bodies moving together. But if we step back, thinking of these elaborate ceremonies makes me question the entire game of kings and queens. Maybe some are getting bored in these silly hats and wigs? I wonder what that era smelt like; maybe that’s why they are walking far apart in layers like an onion… Curator: An acute point – beyond its surface representation of grandeur, Pickaert's print can stimulate profound questions. Who benefited from these elaborate displays? What was the experience for marginalized populations who certainly would have been excluded or exploited in such ceremonies? Editor: Right. Next time I am feeling too pleased with something, I will picture myself in one of those wigs, and recall this print. It's a beautiful but sobering image. Curator: It’s a valuable piece, prompting consideration of social order, and how art, throughout history, reinforces, challenges, or questions such narratives.