Komt hier nu kinders reyn / en lees dees vogels al / Gy hebt met groot en kleyn / hier hondert in 't getal 1765 - 1767

Curator: This etching and engraving, crafted between 1765 and 1767, comes from the hand of weduwe Hendrik van der Putte. The Rijksmuseum holds this delightful image titled "Komt hier nu kinders reyn / en lees dees vogels al / Gy hebt met groot en kleyn / hier hondert in 't getal" – a Dutch verse promising children a hundred birds to count within. Editor: It’s immediately striking how ordered it is! The grid format really structures the eye's journey across what could otherwise be a chaotic collection of creatures. I find something appealing about its deliberate restraint. Curator: Precisely. The line work, rendered with precision through the etching and engraving techniques, creates a clear taxonomy. Each bird, carefully delineated within its square, becomes an individual study in form. The grid, far from being arbitrary, emphasizes the structural integrity of the whole image, dividing it into a series of related, yet discrete, formal units. Editor: But within that structure, what do these birds represent? We know birds often symbolize freedom, the soul, or act as messengers. Are we meant to interpret each bird individually, or are they part of a collective symbolism? And the title clearly calls on children: does it present a collection of real birds or a coded language of sorts, presenting wisdom through innocent appearances? Curator: Perhaps both interpretations coexist. Each bird presents unique proportional relations; look how line and form are economically used to capture its essence. The composition hints at depth, not by shading or volume, but by the overlapping of figures and the strategic use of white space within each quadrat. Editor: Indeed, this points to another angle—birds often represent stages of life or social groups. If you see children as ‘fledglings’, does this menagerie become a commentary on society as a collection of ‘tribes’ within the same world? What hidden rules or messages about the era lurk there for discovery? Curator: An intriguing idea! What this piece makes me consider most is this relationship between structure and variance; we find consistent parameters yet infinite permutations therein. This reflects that very dichotomy that drives art’s capacity to express. Editor: And this image truly embodies this notion! The structure is indeed a scaffolding; we bring to it interpretations and build meanings within the artist's formal confines. The birds call to different meanings to each child of any age.