De renosseros pertinent / Staat hier verbeeld in deze prent / Het is een beest grof en zwaar / Men zegt het leefd wel honderd jaar 1725 - 1780

Editor: This is an intriguing print! It's titled "De renosseros pertinent," which, from what I can gather, is about a rhinoceros. It was created sometime between 1725 and 1780 by Johannes Kannewet. The print itself uses ink on paper. What immediately strikes me is the ornate border contrasting with the somewhat crude depiction of the rhino itself. How do you interpret this piece? Curator: It’s interesting, isn't it? It speaks to the Baroque era's fascination with the exotic, but filtered through a very specific lens. Notice how the artist renders the rhino with such detailed, almost fantastical textures. And that decorative border, it's not just decorative, is it? It’s a cage. A gilded cage for knowledge, perhaps? The animal itself seems almost like a rumour, sketched from a second-hand description. One can't help but wonder if Kannewet ever actually saw a rhino in person. Do you think that the artist made this drawing from life or based on other depictions? Editor: That's a great point! The rhino does look like it was drawn from a description. And yes, the border acting as a kind of gilded cage adds a whole new layer. So it’s like a rumor in captivity. Curator: Precisely! It tells us about how the 18th century imagined the world, how they classified and contained its wonders. It is less a naturalistic study and more of a symbolic inventory, wouldn’t you agree? Editor: Absolutely! Thinking about it as a symbolic inventory makes a lot of sense. I originally just saw it as a strange drawing of a rhino, but it's so much more nuanced than that. Curator: Isn't it amazing how art can lead us down unexpected paths of discovery?