Twee wereldbollen 1690

Editor: Here we have "Twee wereldbollen," or "Two Globes," an engraving from 1690 by an anonymous artist, part of the Rijksmuseum collection. It features two spherical forms, seemingly held aloft by clouds, with a sun radiating above. There’s a strange kind of symmetry but also an unnerving feeling to it... What strikes you about this image? Curator: I see a fascinating interplay between scientific representation and symbolic language. Globes, of course, represent the known world, but here, they seem almost like brains, bisected, with rivers or perhaps neural pathways etched onto their surfaces. Do you notice the sun above the first globe? Editor: Yes, almost like a face! Curator: Exactly. It's an ancient symbol of enlightenment, of divine knowledge. But then consider the clouds. Clouds often symbolize the intangible, the realm of dreams and the unconscious. This image then poses the question: what happens when divine light shines on our understanding, bisected between the tangible and the intangible? The terrestrial versus the celestial? Editor: It’s almost as if the artist is mapping the process of understanding itself, not just the world. Curator: Precisely. Look closer: notice how one globe has clearly defined topographical features, the other seems more abstract, conceptual. Perhaps the artist is pointing towards the journey between observed knowledge and pure ideas. Editor: It's amazing how much symbolism can be packed into a seemingly simple scientific illustration. I would have never thought of all of this on my own! Curator: And I see the value in what you describe as unnerving; an indication of how the image is working on you, creating associations within the modern mind! The dialogue between tangible and intangible endures through art across time.