Twee putti blussen fakkels 1693

Curator: Oh, there's a quiet drama to this piece. I feel drawn into it... Editor: Indeed. What we have here is an etching entitled "Twee putti blussen fakkels"—that’s “Two Putti Extinguishing Torches” in English—created by Samuel Bottschild in 1693. Currently, this piece resides in the collection of the Rijksmuseum. What’s striking is how immediate it feels. Curator: Immediately sad, though... They look like baby angels who put the fire out. Is it symbolic or just children playing a game? I wonder if they feel powerful. It looks really Baroque with the intense details! Editor: I think that it leans more toward allegory, to use one of the piece's central themes. It depicts classical figures—putti—performing manual labor. This speaks volumes, perhaps unintentionally, about the conditions of production at the time. Curator: You mean the labour put in by the artist making an etching. Yes, you can almost see his hands creating these dense lines and how the two intersect to become little chubby angelic creatures who are so determined! You’re right, there’s almost an elegance to it, too! Editor: Definitely. Note how the action almost denies any real divinity here—these cherubs look far more grounded in the real work of survival and control. And I agree that we can almost sense the printmaking process itself; the sheer number of lines scratched into that plate... one can imagine the dedication and focus involved in bringing this to life! Curator: So interesting… in our hearts there’s almost an echo of that focused energy that’s still glowing, after centuries of it being there in those dark lines and light shapes on the white surface… it really holds the power! Editor: Absolutely, it is a compelling artwork to examine; from both a historical and aesthetic point of view! Curator: Yeah... and that really sticks.