Vogel op een mand op de rand van een balkon 1900 - 1930

Curator: There's a wonderful serenity to this photo; almost a stillness you can feel. Editor: I agree. I love the soft sepia tones. This is "Vogel op een mand op de rand van een balkon," which translates to "Bird on a basket on the edge of a balcony." The photo was taken by Richard Tepe sometime between 1900 and 1930. Curator: Richard Tepe, oh yes, such an unsung talent! You see, at first, it appears to be just a charming scene, doesn't it? A bird inspecting the contents of a wicker basket left on a balcony, perhaps hoping for some breadcrumbs or a lost berry. But there's a story woven into the scene. Editor: Woven indeed, like the very basket it shows! I’m fascinated by the cultural symbolism here, and baskets often signify nurture, home, provision. Yet placing it precariously on the balcony, exposed to the outside world, also speaks to a vulnerability. The bird, likewise, represents freedom, the soul, and yet it's drawn to this contained space. There’s an ancient symbolic language being spoken. Curator: Absolutely. I love the fact that Tepe uses Pictorialism here – with landscape as a backdrop to the stillness of a woven receptacle on what may well be a stage setting in its own right! A bird then appears, as an ‘actor’, a character in the landscape of a different story. It’s as if he's stumbled into the wrong play but, still he decides to linger to check out the script! Editor: Precisely! The roofscape in the background, so regimented with its tiles, creates a deliberate contrast to the natural imperfection of the basket and the spontaneity of the bird’s appearance. It shows how constructed space is ‘taken over’ by organic intrusion. I wonder, was the picture staged? Was it set up in his balcony and simply patiently awaited for its co-protagonist to show up and perform for the photograph! Curator: What you have is not a frozen moment, but a gentle echo, if you like – the reverberations of home life against a landscape changing, that the basket becomes not just a vessel, but also an enduring witness. So delicate and subtle it really is. Editor: I find it endlessly thought-provoking how much emotional and psychological resonance can be packed into a still life, especially when framed by Tepe's thoughtful, observant eye. Curator: And to consider this image, found today in the Rijksmuseum, now becomes its own vessel that carries something profound between centuries – our own story.