Ontwerp voor een diploma voor de Bijzondere Handelsschool c. 1897 - 1898

Carel Adolph Lion Cachet made this design for a diploma for the Bijzondere Handelsschool, or Special Commercial School, as a pencil drawing. Lion Cachet was a Dutch artist working in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a time when institutions like the Bijzondere Handelsschool were developing to meet the needs of a rapidly industrializing economy. We can see how Lion Cachet’s image creates meaning through visual codes and cultural references, with the decorative frame around the central text of the diploma design indicating the importance and value that was placed on formal training in commerce at this time. The establishment of specialized schools such as this one reflects a broader shift in Dutch society towards modern, professionalized forms of education. To fully understand this drawing, we need to look at archival records, institutional histories, and other documentary sources. The meaning of art is always contingent on its social and institutional context.