Gezicht op een landhuis 1725 - 1768

This print, *Gezicht op een landhuis,* meaning ‘View of a country house,’ was made by Johann Andreas Pfeffel using etching, a printmaking technique with a long history. The image is made by incising lines into a metal plate with acid, which creates grooves that hold ink. The character of the etched line has a fineness and precision that other printing methods lack. These kinds of printed images became extremely popular in the 18th century, as new chemical processes and technologies allowed for detailed reproducible imagery. In its time, this print would have served to disseminate a particular vision of idyllic life. Here, the country estate is presented as a source of aesthetic and cultural value. The labor required to produce this leisurely setting is rendered invisible, just as the labor of the artist has been processed into an easily repeatable image. The image is small and reproducible, but it holds a world of implication about society and class. It reminds us that the making of an artwork is not just about technique, but about the social context it inhabits.