Enigmes Joyeuses pour les Bons Esprits, Plate 4 1610 - 1620

Editor: Here we have "Enigmes Joyeuses pour les Bons Esprits, Plate 4," a print, drawing and engraving created between 1610 and 1620 by Jan van Haelbeeck. The scene shows a man struggling to move a large barrel, possibly of wine, from a cellar into a street scene. It strikes me as a pretty ordinary moment, not very glamorous, almost humorous. How do you interpret this work? Curator: I see here a potent blend of labor and civic life, captured through very particular visual symbols. Observe the cellar, that dark, cave-like mouth, and the barrel emerging from it. In what ways do you think this could symbolize the subconscious? Editor: You mean, the cellar being the hidden, unknown part of the mind and the wine maybe a repressed desire? Curator: Precisely. And look closer at the sign hanging above the doorway. What story do you think that might be trying to tell us? Editor: Well, it seems to be indicating the type of goods being sold, and I'd wager the neighborhood already understands the symbols, maybe something akin to a coat-of-arms. Curator: That's one element. But think also about the archetypal roles associated with wine: celebration, communion, even altered states of consciousness. By making labor so visible, juxtaposed against these symbols of community and consumption, Haelbeeck engages with themes much deeper than everyday life. What if he’s commenting on how essential, and yet often unseen, some labour is to a healthy society? Editor: That’s a great point! I didn’t consider that it could have been intended as a commentary on civic responsibility and unsung work. It goes way beyond a genre scene, then. Thanks for opening my eyes to all these readings! Curator: My pleasure. I am happy to have highlighted a small window into how objects can be symbols ripe with the emotional history of ourselves and our civilizations.