Plattegrond van Charleroi, 1709 1709

Editor: So, this is "Plattegrond van Charleroi, 1709" by Jacobus Harrewijn. It's a drawing, I think in ink, that looks like a map of a city. There's something really captivating about how geometric everything is, like a carefully planned puzzle. What do you see in this piece that maybe I'm missing? Curator: You know, for me, this isn't just a map; it's a window into a world obsessed with order and control. Can you see how the city is structured around that star-shaped citadel? Everything radiates outwards, every line seems calculated. It whispers to me of power, of fortification, of the intense chess game that was 18th-century warfare. Doesn't it make you wonder about the lives lived within those precisely drawn lines? Were they as neat and tidy as this rendering suggests, I doubt it! Editor: That's such a cool perspective. I was so caught up in the visual layout, I hadn't really thought about the people living there or the military strategy. It makes you think of all those little lives existing inside something so rigid. It also looks very artistic and decorative; did people display maps as art back then? Curator: Absolutely. Back then, a detailed city plan was not just practical; it was a status symbol, an assertion of dominance. Harrewijn, being the skilled draughtsman that he was, transformed something functional into an art object, an almost baroque celebration of human ingenuity and territorial ambition. Look at the details, for example! Can you spot some unexpected artistic detail? This reminds me of old architectural fantasies drawn with so much perfection, except that this one really existed! Editor: I guess I was too focused on the main structure. Now I see it's a lot more than just lines on paper! Thanks; I feel like I see a lot more nuance now. Curator: The pleasure is all mine! It's always such fun looking at something old and finding new questions to ask!