Vermaak uwe oogen, jeugd! in 't zevental planeeten. / Elk loopende in zyn kring / Men vindt ze dus geheeten / Saturnus, Jupiter, Mars, Sol en Venus, met / Merkuur en Luna, hier op trappen neèr gezet 1806 - 1830

Curator: This etching, created sometime between 1806 and 1830 by A. Robyn, presents an allegorical depiction of the seven planets. Editor: It's densely packed, almost chaotic, yet rigidly structured with those geometric divisions. The sharp lines create a powerful, if somewhat overwhelming, first impression. Curator: Indeed, the rigid structure is key. Look at how the artist arranges the figures of Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Sol, Venus, Mercury, and Luna on a sort of architectural platform, each figure symbolizing a different celestial body. It really showcases a very particular symbolic ordering of the cosmos. Editor: From a socio-historical angle, it reflects a moment when the boundaries between science and allegory were still quite fluid. It speaks to the period's fascination with celestial order, viewed through a mythological and, arguably, moral lens. Each planet represents not only its astronomical significance but also a character in the ongoing drama of society. Curator: Precisely, that dramatic interpretation of astronomical order reflects in the linear arrangement. Each figure is presented with their individual emblematic accessories; Mars with his sword, Venus with her mirror, enabling the eye to immediately decipher their attributed classical reference. Editor: I’m particularly interested in the location. It’s now housed here, in the Rijksmuseum. To see this presented, almost scientifically, but understood so aesthetically within the context of the historical allegorical depiction highlights how the function and interpretation of this artwork transformed between the nineteenth and twenty-first centuries. Curator: An excellent point. It highlights how even scientific pursuits have cultural underpinnings which may very well differ across time and institutions. Editor: Ultimately, its historical and stylistic details allow insight into understanding not only historical knowledge and beliefs of the world and cosmos but also society. Curator: Absolutely. And hopefully it allows our visitors to engage both intellectually and aesthetically in observing it.