Plattegrond van Tiel met stadsgezicht c. 1657 - 1710

Editor: Here we have an anonymous drawing, or rather, a print, from sometime between 1657 and 1710 titled *Plattegrond van Tiel met stadsgezicht*, which translates to "Map of Tiel with City View." It's a detailed cityscape done in ink on paper. What do you make of this kind of rendering, this... bird's-eye perspective mashed up with a kind of flattened panorama? Curator: It feels wonderfully… knowing, doesn’t it? Like peeking into a secret world miniaturized. It reminds me of childhood, poring over maps, inventing stories for each little house and street. This "mash-up," as you so aptly put it, between the plan and the prospect, speaks volumes. The map offers a factual, almost scientific view, about how space is organized. But look at that panorama across the top - what does *that* say to you? Editor: It romanticizes things! It's less about the cold, hard geography and more about… what it *feels* like to be there. The scale’s warped! Are those buildings accurate? Curator: Exactly! Dutch Golden Age cartography was as much about civic pride and creating an impression as it was about precise measurement. The skyline isn’t quite proportionally correct - everything is shoved together and overly-imposing! The engraver is not just depicting Tiel, they're performing it, shaping its image for posterity. Is that ethical? Maybe not! But it is wonderfully creative. Don’t you think it’s an exercise in early urban branding? Editor: Branding! That’s clever! So, it’s not just a map; it's an advertisement for Tiel. I never considered cityscapes could be propaganda, essentially. Curator: All images are propaganda, darling! (Laughs). Propaganda just means that it serves a certain point of view! Next time you visit a city, remember that everything is staged! Well, this has been an utter delight - maps are far more insidious than they seem.