Servet met de inname van Rijssel door Eugenius van Savoye after 1708

Editor: So, here we have "Servet met de inname van Rijssel door Eugenius van Savoye," a woven textile from after 1708 by an anonymous artist, here in the Rijksmuseum. It’s a commemorative piece, I suppose? All very linear and…detailed. It’s a bit overwhelming. What do you make of it? Curator: Overwhelming, yes, like a densely packed dream trying to tell you something important. The fact that it’s on a ‘servet’, or a textile for domestic use, is quite telling, don't you think? That battles, and triumphs of a Prince, find their place at our tables, literally woven into the fabric of daily life. Editor: A curious way to celebrate military victories! It feels like an early form of propaganda almost? Curator: Exactly! It is the very mundane object, used every day, speaking of power and war. Isn't that a bit ironic? Editor: It is now that you mention it! Were these textiles common back then? Curator: Certainly. Tapestries were already old news, this was something for everyone to appreciate! Perhaps we are just too used to see conflict shown to us via big dramatic oil on canvas, or on the evening news, no? Editor: I suppose. It makes me consider where else 'grand narratives' are hiding in the ordinary things around me. Curator: Indeed, because after all, what is History if not yesterday’s dinner conversation, etched onto a tablecloth? A bit messy, but meaningful, when we can read its patterns, don’t you think?