Affiche voor Delftsche Slaolie 1874 - 1945

Editor: This is "Affiche voor Delftsche Slaolie" by Carel Adolph Lion Cachet, created sometime between 1874 and 1945. It's a linocut poster currently held at the Rijksmuseum. I'm struck by the contrast between the realistically rendered bottle and the stylized, almost medieval, design surrounding it. What symbolic reading might we give to this juxtaposition? Curator: That's a perceptive observation. The linocut, with its graphic nature, acts as a powerful vessel. Notice the bottle's label – those small, heraldic symbols and careful typography aren't merely descriptive. They speak to a deeper aspiration for quality, a connection to craft traditions, and perhaps even an implied Dutch national identity associated with "Delftsche" products. Consider, too, how olive oil may have been perceived then versus now. Editor: You’re saying it wasn't just about advertising salad oil? Curator: Precisely. The artist leverages our ingrained responses to such images, to cultural touchstones of trustworthiness, to make a statement exceeding pure commerce. Does the ornamental surround evoke a feeling of prestige, of tradition upheld? How does the choice of linocut – a relatively modern medium for the time – play into that contrast? Editor: It’s as if the artist is using a modern medium to deliberately recall something ancient and reliable, a history of craftsmanship. Curator: Exactly! The artist, through symbol and imagery, builds an entire world around a simple bottle of salad oil, speaking to a cultural memory far beyond the purely functional. The commercial interacts with echoes of guilds, emblems and artisanal making, don’t you agree? Editor: That's fascinating; I hadn't considered how deeply symbolic even something as simple as a product advertisement could be. It's a whole other layer of meaning! Curator: Indeed. And a testament to the power of images to resonate across time and cultures.