Instructie over het onderhoud van de slangbrandspuiten, ca. 1700 1682 - 1712

Curator: Check out this…well, it's called "Instructie over het onderhoud van de slangbrandspuiten, ca. 1700." The Rijksmuseum tells us it dates from around 1682 to 1712. And yes, it's anonymous. Editor: "Instruction on maintaining fire hoses…" Hmm. Stark. Utilitarian. It's all in black and white, so you focus on the graphic, sort of manual-like… vibe. Curator: Exactly. It's a print—an engraving, specifically—showing how to maintain those early fire hoses. And remember, this is the Dutch Golden Age. Editor: Ah, now that makes more sense! I mean, you see "Dutch Golden Age," and you think portraits, still lifes. Not exactly a page torn straight from some tradesman's manual. What’s striking to me is the sheer matter-of-factness in this old thing! Curator: Tell me about it. The instructions are incredibly detailed, right down to what kind of grease to use and how often to inspect them for wear. Everything. Editor: See, there's a sort of… obsessive-compulsive aesthetic at play, wouldn't you agree? Think about it. Each step laid out so clinically, everything meticulously noted down...It's trying to put chaos into order with instruction, the type-letter ascribing a semiotic and structural authority. The contrast between its very real focus of “not dying from urban fires”, and Baroque artwork! Curator: I can see your point. Although they did have significant urban fires… Editor: Well, clearly, a point that must be considered as well! Curator: True, this piece, to me, is about how we transmit practical knowledge. Think about that; you needed people to use this print, share it… get better at putting out fires! Editor: Which also implies, doesn't it, that some people really weren't putting the fire hoses to good use... or perhaps they would just rather allow things to burn around them... It’s almost funny! A world before consumerism that’s not so different than the society that we now exist within, no? A picture worth more than a thousand extinctions, if you will! Curator: Well put! This little engraving suddenly feels very modern! Editor: And quite flammable if not cared for!