Kelkglas met een gezicht op Rijnsaterwoude c. 1768 - 1769

Editor: Here we have an engraved glass, “Kelkglas met een gezicht op Rijnsaterwoude,” from around 1768-1769. It’s attributed to an anonymous artist and held in the Rijksmuseum. I find it fascinating that such a delicate object bears witness to a specific place and time. How do you interpret this work, considering its Rococo style and the chosen subject matter? Curator: It’s interesting to consider this glass within its socio-political context. The Rococo style, known for its flamboyance and association with aristocracy, seems almost paradoxical when juxtaposed with a landscape. One must ask who this glass was made for. What did owning such an object signify during a period defined by stark social hierarchies and emerging mercantilism? Did this imagery serve as a sentimental connection to land, perhaps for a wealthy merchant who gained status in a bustling, but far-removed urban center? Editor: That's a compelling perspective. I hadn't considered the potential tension between the style and the imagery. Curator: I wonder, too, how the depiction of landscape functions. Landscapes at the time are generally associated with notions of possession and power, made visible through land ownership. On such a delicate object, that narrative becomes far more nuanced and the engraving is not only seen but experienced as you turn the glass in your hand, literally altering the perspective with which it can be seen. It's a material and metaphorical consideration of visibility and power. What are your thoughts on that? Editor: I see what you mean. It makes you question the relationship between art, ownership, and the representation of place in that era. Thinking about it this way gives me a totally new way of seeing how class structure might intersect with an artwork. Curator: Exactly! By critically engaging with these objects we are engaging with the historical circumstances of the time, to better contextualize the people and the times for which they were made.