Lyon gaat de koningin tegemoet 1672 - 1757

Editor: Here we have Gaspard Duchange's "Lyon gaat de koningin tegemoet," a print made sometime between 1672 and 1757. It’s currently housed at the Rijksmuseum. The detail in this Baroque engraving is really something; almost fantastical with its allegorical scene. How do you unpack something this complex? Curator: Oh, isn't it delightful? I adore how Duchange invites us into this theatrical tableau. For me, it whispers stories of power, but with such playful elegance. Look at Lyon depicted as a woman, drawn in a chariot, pulled by her namesake lions and cupid, and greeted by Jupiter and Juno in the clouds – pure fantasy! Doesn't it all seem so deliberate, as if staging a grand welcome. Do you get that sense of performative grandeur too? Editor: Absolutely. It’s like a city putting on its best show. It is hard not to appreciate the details. I mean, what's with the lions, precisely? Is there more to them than just their being, well, lions? Curator: The lions symbolise not just the city itself but also strength and courage, virtues that Lyon perhaps wished to present to its queen. In a deeper sense, the allegory seems to reach for some universal ideals of queenship in ancient history. I am interested to see where we can take this discussion next... Editor: Hmm, it's intriguing how they’re trying to portray the city. Curator: Right? But doesn’t it also make you consider the limitations of such staged presentations? What's hidden behind all this pomp and circumstance? Editor: Good point. I hadn't considered the "hidden" part before. There are obviously two interpretations that depend on the audience: positive and negative.