Oorlogsmonster 1657

Curator: This is Salomon Savery’s "Oorlogsmonster," or "War Monster," an etching from 1657 held here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: Oh my! What strikes me first is the sheer, monstrous absurdity of it all! This fantastical creature is built of weaponry; it’s a dragon fused with instruments of war. Darkly humorous. Curator: Savery was known for his detailed engravings, and here we see a masterful control of line and tone, achieved with ink on paper. Consider the context: the Dutch Golden Age, a time of immense trade and prosperity, but also of constant naval conflict and expansion. Editor: The layers of symbolic association are incredible. The dragon, a classic symbol of chaos and destruction, is here made even more grotesque. The incorporation of armor, cannons, even musical instruments twists them into something malevolent. Curator: Absolutely. The tools of war, which could also be regarded as objects of utility and craft, become instruments of oppression. Savery transformed the ordinary into something symbolic of destructive power. Editor: Note the cannon erupting in the distance. Savery shows us war engulfing everything, literally built into the anatomy of this beast. It also begs the question, who benefits from the perpetuation of such a monster? Curator: Savery himself came from a family of artists and engravers, so the very act of producing this image implicates the labor and artistry required to sustain the cycle. How do we confront such monstrosity when it's integral to society itself? Editor: Right. And to go further, even the smoke billowing around the dragon becomes a ghostly presence, the visual symbol of a haunted nation after battle. One leaves with the disquieting image of this bizarre hybrid that becomes war itself. Curator: Yes, this unsettling allegory of militarization resonates deeply with questions about labor, trade, and how we give shape to war in our collective psyche. Editor: Truly, seeing this image invites us to face these horrors anew. Curator: Exactly. Savery offers us more than just fantasy; a challenge.