Maria met Kind, Johannes de Doper en H. Catharina 1594 - 1652

Curator: What strikes me first is this dance of light and shadow, rendered in such detail through the engraving technique. This work, “Maria met Kind, Johannes de Doper en H. Catharina,” dating roughly from 1594 to 1652, is by Jacob Matham, and we’re lucky to have it here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: It has a somewhat pensive atmosphere. The composition—Mary and Jesus practically spilling out of the frame to the right, that melancholic John the Baptist stage-left—it creates a sense of unfolding drama. Almost cinematic, really. Curator: Absolutely, there's a dynamic tension. Matham uses engraving, a printmaking process, to achieve these incredible tonal shifts. Think of it—each line meticulously etched, building form and feeling. But what draws your eye in terms of iconography? Editor: Immediately, the symbolism around innocence and knowledge stands out. John, often shown with a lamb, here holds a book, representing a certain self-awareness and prophetic knowing. And then Catherine, a patron saint of knowledge, adds to this. Curator: They both flank Mary and Jesus... I think there is almost like a theatrical spotlight trained upon them, set off against the idyllic town in the background, to bring us closer. Editor: Yes, like two separate spheres co-existing. It adds to that cinematic tension that pulls us between this quiet interior scene to the wide and dangerous world that we're set apart from. I’m thinking of original sin and redemption…the texts are quite telling too. Curator: Exactly. The inscription translates roughly to "this child…sent to Earth from Olympus" followed by what amounts to a curse "this human race has fallen and plunged to a Stygian death." What’s interesting is how the softness of Mary is contrasted with this stern prophecy and those chiseled lines, especially on Joseph, don't you think? Editor: It is that contrast—the looming consequences shadowed in the background, the light flooding upon a newborn. It transforms an intimate scene into something… monumental. What would Matham think if they could see us two gazing into the etching this far in the future? Curator: Oh, if only. I think he’d be humbled. His devotion to his craft continues to echo in rooms like this one. It asks the questions: "What will come to pass?" "What do we truly value?" It reminds me that the past remains very much alive.