Stør (Sturio siue Acipenser) 1620 - 1669

Curator: So, we have here an etching by Albert Flamen, likely created sometime between 1620 and 1669. It’s entitled *Stør (Sturio siue Acipenser)* – which simply means 'Sturgeon'. What are your immediate impressions? Editor: Well, beyond the imposing presence of the sturgeon itself, the overall mood strikes me as quite turbulent. The implied violence in the distance, perhaps a naval engagement, combined with the grounded stillness of the creature...it’s an arresting contrast. Curator: Exactly. And I think it’s crucial to examine what that contrast says about how genre and history painting begin to blend during the early modern era. Before, we saw history painting treated as the pinnacle. This is different; Flamen elevates this image of a fish almost to that status, using these detailed rendering styles traditionally associated with recording heroic scenes! Editor: It does feel like the sturgeon is charged with a certain symbolic weight. I see a very classical depiction of it - almost reptilian - that evokes images of primeval nature and stories about sea monsters in antique maps or illustrations of fantastical travel literature. Curator: That’s a fantastic point. The inclusion of that naval skirmish hints at power dynamics and economic activity of the day, these maritime trade routes heavily involving lucrative resources from aquatic life, namely, sturgeons and their valuable caviar. Editor: Looking at the town in the background and those birds, I read this etching as something of a morality tale, contrasting themes like liberty versus confinement or exploitation in balance with prosperity, what do you think? Curator: Well said, but don’t forget about the market for such prints and illustrations as commodities in and of themselves. The artist is working for wealthy clients to produce natural histories or symbolic renderings of conquest, simultaneously, with only so much intention regarding what his own images express beyond surface presentation! Editor: I take your point. Still, there is a dialogue between those overt economic elements you mentioned with subtler threads woven by means of certain signifiers and iconic conventions throughout the image, such as that almost Edenic natural setting that has just yielded forth the sturgeon and various shellfish. Curator: I see where you’re going. The blend of the mundane and the grand narratives becomes central to our understanding of the early modern worldview. The humble sturgeon enters the scene! Editor: Precisely! It brings an element of immediacy but echoes throughout history and the collective imagination to this day!