Susanna en de ouderlingen 1596 - 1623

Curator: Immediately, I am struck by the stark contrast – a woman's vulnerability sharply juxtaposed against the looming architectural backdrop, creating a sense of both intimacy and public scrutiny. Editor: And it's the architectural backdrop that pulls my gaze initially. It adds an unsettling sense of the stage and social power play to this moment. What can you tell me about the piece? Curator: This intaglio engraving, "Susanna en de ouderlingen," from circa 1596-1623, is attributed to Nicolaes van Geelkercken, residing here in the Rijksmuseum collection. The scene depicts the biblical story of Susanna, surprised by elders. Editor: Ah, Susanna! I see that the artist's captured Susanna in her most exposed moment and it plays into that classic theme. Her nudity immediately flags "temptation" and "purity threatened," recurring ideas of the era. That figure beside the fountain reinforces themes of purity and youthful innocence too, right? Curator: Exactly, but its reception likely wasn’t unified. The engraving would circulate in a social landscape marked by religious tensions. The politics of the time cast shadows on images of women accused of transgression. Who sees the figures as violating patriarchal norms, and who reads Susanna’s nude figure as a reflection of that norm itself? It gets quite thorny. Editor: It's more complicated. I find her gaze defiant, though. See how it is aimed towards the figures that menace her. Is that resistance intentional? Or simply how the conventions dictated she be depicted? Perhaps the viewer's eye, now and then, fills that narrative gap. Curator: Interpretation then, as now, depended heavily on one's existing frameworks of understanding. The visual cues alone couldn’t determine the complete message. The historical context fills crucial blanks that images may only suggest. Editor: A potent reminder that images act not only as records but as active participants in societal narratives. Curator: Indeed. Engaging with these narratives means continually re-evaluating their role and impact.