Shell King: A Man with a Map of a Fortification 1712 - 1730

Curator: What an enigmatic piece. We’re looking at "Shell King: A Man with a Map of a Fortification," a pen and ink drawing by Johannes Brandenberg, created sometime between 1712 and 1730. It resides here at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. What are your immediate thoughts? Editor: Intriguing! The etching itself has a casual, almost whimsical feel, despite what appears to be a very detailed fortification plan. The linework is so precise, but the imagery is playful. What kind of paper would Brandenberg have used, and where did it come from? I am curious about how this drawing circulated and was received at the time. Curator: It’s difficult to say without examining the paper itself, but the image speaks to broader themes. These "Shell King" images, likely playing cards, circulated as political satires, particularly during the War of the Spanish Succession. This suggests that the artist’s intended audience might have viewed them with specific political knowledge, appreciating the commentary woven within. Editor: Political satire on a playing card! That makes it more interesting, in a way subverting notions of the elevated genres of “history painting.” How interesting to consider how the artist used readily available and cheap material such as paper to critique people in positions of power, how the low can indict the high. Did Brandenberg do all of the etching himself? Curator: Most likely he did. But thinking about the larger production cycle here, remember these prints circulated, became objects of conversation and—presumably—provocation. Who commissioned Brandenberg, who distributed the playing cards? How do these works help to generate a new print culture of the early 18th Century, shifting cultural taste in urban centers like Berlin? Editor: I love that you highlight that production context! Considering these images, mass-produced for potential consumption within a card game speaks to the blending of leisure, commerce, and visual art. These objects become tools not only for entertainment, but communication about war and status and possibly power! The portability of prints and how they became woven into the social fabric of daily life. Curator: Exactly! What this "Shell King" reveals is that art isn't produced or consumed in a vacuum. There are always social, cultural, and very often political forces at play. Even within something as seemingly light as a playing card. Editor: A good reminder to appreciate the hand that guides the pen but also the material conditions that gave rise to that gesture.