Plattegrond van Breisach, ca. 1695 1695 - 1697

Editor: Here we have a "Plattegrond van Breisach, ca. 1695", which roughly translates to "Map of Breisach," created around 1695 by an anonymous artist. It’s an ink and engraving on paper. It’s quite detailed. How would you describe your impression of this piece? Curator: My attention is drawn to the material processes involved. Consider the labor: from the production of the paper, ink, and engraving plate, to the skilled hand etching the intricate lines. It wasn't just about geographical accuracy, but the control of resources required. What does the depiction of the city itself suggest to you in terms of material investment and labor? Editor: It feels…fortified. The star shape and the waterways make it seem like a place built for defense, a concentration of resources geared towards protection. Curator: Exactly. The formal geometry of the fortifications contrasts with the organic flow of the Rhine. This suggests not only human intervention upon the landscape, but the exertion of power through material means. Think about who commissioned this map, who would have used it, and how the production and circulation of this object bolstered their authority. Is it propaganda? A strategic tool? Or simply a marker of ownership? Editor: It’s likely all three, I guess. I hadn't thought of the actual making as being as important as the image itself, or its direct use as a map. It makes sense that whoever commissioned the work, controlled all levels of material. Curator: Consider that the dissemination of knowledge, then as now, is dependent on resources and power. It shows how closely linked art, labor, and power are. Editor: Thinking about the production of this map makes me realize it’s not just a picture, it’s a material statement about control. Curator: Precisely! And questioning how such images are constructed forces us to acknowledge the material conditions that make such control possible.