Waarschuwing tegen het procederen, ca. 1700 1690 - 1710

Editor: Here's something rather intriguing – it's an etching called "Warning Against Litigation, ca. 1700." Made sometime between 1690 and 1710 by an anonymous artist, it resides at the Rijksmuseum. I am struck by how cramped the composition seems, and how everyone's focused on... money? What do you see happening here? Curator: Indeed! It plunges us headfirst into a 17th-century Dutch scene bubbling with cautionary tales. Consider the setting. Can you practically smell the corruption? Courtrooms overflowing with the scent of deception and lawyers as vultures? This is narrative art; the artist isn’t simply depicting a scene, but delivering a pointed moral commentary on greed and legal battles. What's your gut reaction to the image? Editor: I suppose there's a tension between this idea of 'justice' and what's actually happening, a kind of... imbalance. The fellow pouring out coins contrasts sharply with others who appear dignified. I am assuming he's being taken advantage of, given the text at the bottom warning people about litigation... Curator: Spot on. See those moneybags hanging as signs, implying you'll soon lose money! Our anonymous printmaker is painting litigation not as justice but as another kind of... transaction, rife with those seeking profit at any cost, and leaving little behind for those tangled within its web. But the humor is essential! Don't you think this perspective on 17th-century Dutch life offers a unique angle on societal anxieties about wealth? Editor: Definitely. It’s a lot more cynical, perhaps more realistic than the portraits of wealthy merchants we typically see from that time. I was drawn in by its texture, but now recognize so much narrative here too. Curator: Indeed! Now I’m seeing something new too! It all converges and we must allow this to resonate.