Willemynken bij konijn langs weg tijdens pelgrimage 1590 - 1638

Curator: Welcome. The artwork before us is a piece by Boëtius Adamsz. Bolswert, made between 1590 and 1638. It’s titled "Willemynken bij konijn langs weg tijdens pelgrimage" which translates to "Willemynken with rabbit along the road during pilgrimage". The artwork is an etching and engraving, and it resides here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: The texture first grabs you, doesn't it? It's like looking at a meticulously etched memory. It evokes a muted fairytale. Curator: Bolswert's printmaking often uses clean lines and carefully constructed space, though there’s nothing simple about the labor that produces these images. His choices in the use of etching and engraving provides some insight on how this artwork was meant to be consumed. Prints like this would have been easily transportable, readily duplicated, and available on a burgeoning market, widening art’s accessibility to a wider public. Editor: I imagine it tacked up on a cottage wall, sunlight catching the lines, adding another layer of story. A small, unassuming story made grand, or a grand story told in small piece. Is that the feel of a pilgrimage—seeing a miracle in the everyday? That crouching figure with his staff looks perplexed. Curator: The presence of the "Willemynken," or female pilgrims, provides context for the economic and social role that pilgrimage held during that era. We see a focus on genre painting. Look at the depiction of labour or that rabbit that runs in contrast to the pilgrim’s trek. All the detail adds complexity to what seems like a rather simple moment. Editor: Pilgrims on a stroll startled by a fleeting bunny… that’s a bit cheeky for such serious themes. There's humor here. How wonderfully human of the artist to acknowledge the absurdity in the midst of solemnity. Perhaps it suggests that spiritual journeys are as much about the little surprises as the grand destination. Curator: The small scale of this print further emphasizes this point, presenting a glimpse into a journey that exists in both a material world of markets, trades and techniques. The materiality contrasts this religious endeavor to an approachable craft. Editor: Right. Seeing something so ethereal rendered in earthly metal, ink, and paper…it all becomes gloriously approachable. Curator: A blending of high ideals with mundane process and everyday interactions in Bolswert’s rendering provides depth to what it meant to live in that time period. Editor: A little portal to ponder and to smile with.