Wil, jeugd! uit deeze prentjes leeren, / Die ge ook als kaartjes kunt handteeren, / Dat van een keizer af, hoe groot, / Elk in het eind komt tot de dood 1806 - 1830

Editor: So, this print by Schalekamp & Van de Grampel, dating from the early 19th century, is called "Wil, jeugd! uit deeze prentjes leeren…". It looks like a set of playing cards, but they’re each tiny scenes, and frankly, a bit morbid! What’s your take on this strange tableau? Curator: Ah, yes. A memento mori, tucked within the guise of a child’s game! It whispers, or perhaps shouts, about mortality’s great leveler. Each card, each figure – Emperor to Laborer – is destined for the same end: Doorn, Death. Isn’t it darkly humorous how the artists present this somber theme with such…whimsy? It reminds us that death, despite its seriousness, is an inescapable part of life's grand play. Have you noticed how life is also the origin and motivation of art? Editor: I do now! The little verses…are those little reminders, almost like fortune cookie wisdom gone gothic? Curator: Precisely! Each character frozen in their societal role, unknowingly marching towards that final card. It’s both a snapshot of early 19th-century Dutch society and a timeless reflection on human vanity. Does it not make you ponder how we often play our roles so seriously, forgetting the final act? Editor: Definitely puts things into perspective. I went from seeing a quirky print to recognizing a poignant, even a bit biting, commentary on life and death. Curator: And that’s the magic of art, isn’t it? To hold up a mirror, coated with a bit of playful distortion, and ask us to see ourselves anew. Perhaps to inspire us to play our parts with a little more…flair and compassion.