Penning met een devies en de namen van de landgraven van Hessen 1685 - 1720

Curator: Well, here we have "Penning met een devies en de namen van de landgraven van Hessen," a drawing in ink, likely engraved, dating from 1685 to 1720. Editor: It has such an ornate, almost astrological feel! All the names and dates surrounding the central image. It gives the impression of a symbolic puzzle. What should I make of that swan? Curator: The swan… Ah, the elegant paradox! It's perched so assuredly on that little checkered podium. See how the text around it reads, "Candide et constanter?" "Candidly and steadfastly." There's a tension there, isn’t there? This emblem presents itself as a commitment to frankness. What does "Candidly and steadfastly" evoke for you? Editor: Maybe it suggests loyalty or perhaps truthfulness in governance? It’s fascinating how much they packed into one image. It's bursting with heraldry. It all feels meticulously planned out, like some sort of secret code! Curator: Yes, precisely! These emblems and mottoes, these genealogies celebrated – they are very performative acts. Royalty broadcasting to the world (and perhaps to themselves?) a carefully curated image of stability, longevity, of divinely ordained right. Doesn’t the weight of all that history just sort of seep into you as you look at it? Editor: I can definitely see the historical significance now, but I'm not sure I would've caught all of that by myself! Curator: That's the beauty of art – the endless layers of interpretation and historical context that invite us to dig deeper. Thanks for noticing it and chatting about it with me. Editor: Thanks so much. I definitely see this in a whole new light now.