Ragotin houdt zich vast aan het bokkende paard 1782

Curator: Allow me to introduce "Ragotin Holds onto the Bucking Horse," an engraving by Daniel Nikolaus Chodowiecki, dating back to 1782. It's currently held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum. Editor: Oh, it's got that delightfully frantic energy. You can almost hear the clatter of hooves and the panicked yells. What's Ragotin holding on for dear life to? Curator: Ragotin is a character borrowed from Paul Scarron's novel. And I think the image brilliantly embodies a sort of chaotic comedy—he is in that carriage, but the horse... well, it has its own ideas. Editor: Absolutely. Horses have always symbolized raw power, but here it feels more like untamed ego. And the way everyone's crammed into that carriage, each with their own reaction… there's a whole society on display in that one bouncing vehicle. Curator: Precisely. Chodowiecki uses a wonderfully delicate line to depict the scene, which emphasizes the fragility of the moment, right before total pandemonium erupts. You get the impression that something truly riotous is right about to happen. Editor: And the landscape around them—almost serene in its stillness—provides such a wonderful counterpoint. It's like a stage set for the unfolding drama of human and animal wills colliding. Almost mocking, I think. The futility! Curator: Symbolically, the horse is disrupting the carriage's journey, you know, the societal "path," you might say, which reflects, in my mind, this period of change where old ways were bucked with... vigor. It speaks to the tensions bubbling beneath the surface of late 18th century Europe. Editor: Right. That's why these carriages are such fascinating images to me, these vehicles are symbols of progress and also imprisonment at the same time. And of course a lot of people felt thrown from them, especially then. Curator: I appreciate your insight. Looking at this piece again, I see it as not just a funny scene but a commentary on the disruptive force of the unexpected in our lives, the times when our vehicles buck us off. Editor: Well, I’ll just hope the image reminds me to have a soft grip on those reins, whatever carriage I may find myself in!