Jakob begraaft de afgodsbeelden 1683 - 1733

Curator: Looking at this engraving, it's clear someone went to town on the flourishes. What's your initial sense? Editor: The initial mood is dramatic, and intricate, yet small in scale. It feels intimate, despite depicting a grand narrative scene. The light seems almost surgically placed, isolating the central figures. Curator: This piece, "Jakob begraaft de afgodsbeelden," or "Jacob Burying the Idols," resides in the Rijksmuseum. It's difficult to nail down an exact creation date; estimates range from 1683 to 1733. Anonymous made it, etched entirely in line engraving. Editor: I find myself immediately drawn to the figure digging; he's this raw, almost primal contrast to the classically draped figures nearby. It suggests an ancient practice—hiding away what no longer serves. But also of a break. Curator: Symbolically, burying idols is pretty heavy. It's about severing ties, right? Wiping out past attachments. What's amazing here is how they visualize transformation, physically rooting out belief systems. Editor: Absolutely. You also have this decorative border, lion figures included, which screams Baroque. It’s like the story is presented almost ceremonially. It is a declaration of faith within an overblown ornamental picture frame. And I ask myself what is really getting buried here? A belief? A fear? A hope? The engraving opens a lot of paths into thinking and questioning… Curator: Exactly. There is tension created by the figures; they seem caught in mid-action, their bodies arranged like a frozen tableau. That tension pulls you into their dilemma. The anonymous engraver captured the gravity of choice and its aftermath. It's more than aesthetics. It feels like a key is hidden here, or perhaps a tomb! Editor: It makes you consider your idols, the ones you didn't even know you'd built up. Fascinating, really. Curator: I'd agree, anonymous or not, this is something! Editor: I find its charm exactly in that!