Merkwaardige maskerade van Karel VI 1791

Curator: This print, dating back to 1791, is Daniel Nikolaus Chodowiecki's etching titled "Merkwaardige maskerade van Karel VI," housed here at the Rijksmuseum. What’s your first impression? Editor: Chaos. That’s my immediate feeling. Utter chaos rendered in the most meticulous lines. It's like witnessing a fever dream captured with the precision of an entomologist pinning a butterfly. Curator: Indeed. Chodowiecki captures the infamous "Bal des Ardents" or "Burning Men's Ball" incident. It’s quite a story, really. A masquerade gone horribly wrong when King Charles VI of France and some companions dressed as wild men, covered in flammable pitch and flax. Editor: Ouch. That’s… not the best costume choice, historically speaking. The fire itself, rendered as this sort of leaping, grasping figure, almost feels allegorical, doesn't it? A consuming madness? Curator: Absolutely. It speaks to deeper themes of courtly folly and the precarious nature of power, wouldn't you say? And that solitary seated figure to the left? So detached, observing the frenzy. Editor: She’s like a ghost at the feast, utterly removed from the unfolding disaster. Is she supposed to represent someone specific? I feel like her placid detachment almost mocks the panic. Curator: Historical records suggest it's likely a depiction of Joan of Navarre, Charles VI's Queen. There's a narrative about her being saved during the event. But what fascinates me is how this relatively small print manages to convey such a sense of pandemonium. Editor: Right? And look at the faces – such expressive, grotesque exaggerations, considering it’s a rather small scale print. Curator: Chodowiecki clearly relishes capturing the macabre theatricality. What initially appears to be a moment of frivolous festivity transforms into this harrowing tableau of accidental carnage. Editor: It's a striking reminder of how quickly joy can turn to tragedy. A valuable memento mori about human folly. I find it fascinating how one singular incident became cultural shorthand in art through a series of very vivid artistic symbols. Curator: A thought provoking piece, perfectly capturing a moment of bizarre royal misfortune, preserved for centuries thanks to printmaking. Editor: Exactly, and offering insight into cultural fears through symbols of monarchy and chaos.