Blad G: elfde praalwagen, 1767 1767

Editor: Here we have Pieter Wauters' "Blad G: elfde praalwagen" from 1767, an engraving printed on paper. It’s a really fascinating image, almost like a collection of different tableau vivant scenes. What grabs you when you look at this print? Curator: What strikes me immediately is the intricate labor embedded within this engraving. The meticulous rendering of each figure, each wave, each decorative element using line—all point to a highly skilled artisan operating within a specific system of production. Consider the engraver's tools, the paper, the printing press; how does this process reflect the material conditions of 18th-century printmaking? Editor: That’s a really interesting angle. I hadn't really considered the physical process itself so deeply. So, are you saying we should think about how this print was circulated and consumed back then? Curator: Precisely. These kinds of prints were often disseminated widely, acting as a form of visual currency. Look at the subject matter – allegorical floats! These wouldn’t just appear spontaneously. What kind of labour do you think went into not only making, but also *organizing* such spectacle? Consider the artisans who built the floats, the performers, even the social structure allowing such display. How did that context affect Wauters' choices of image making? Editor: It feels like I'm only scratching the surface. Looking at the different figures and the ship reminds me how many steps must have gone into realizing the floats themselves, and this engraving makes all of those tangible. Curator: It also complicates our modern understanding of ‘high art’. Is this merely documentation? Or something more akin to marketing material circulated within a tightly structured, mercantile society. What has changed about the status of labour, materiality and production between then and now? Editor: This discussion has completely changed my perspective. Thank you for pointing out those material and social layers that I hadn't seen. Curator: And you've reminded me how powerful close looking is. Thank you!