Meisje met armen over elkaar 1721 - 1778

Curator: Looking at this etching by Johann Gottlieb Glume, made sometime between 1721 and 1778, I immediately notice the incredible delicacy of the line work. Editor: Yes, there's a quiet, introspective mood, even melancholic perhaps. The girl’s folded arms and gaze averted from the viewer contribute to this feeling. What can you tell us about the social context of portrait etchings in this period? Curator: This particular artwork titled, "Meisje met armen over elkaar" translates to "Girl with arms crossed". The work embodies the Rococo style, offering more than just likeness, it implies sentiment. Printed images like this became more accessible to a burgeoning middle class, creating a market for individualized likeness. How do you read the materiality and scale? Editor: Well, considering it's an etching, the scale must be rather intimate. It brings to mind the domestic spaces where such prints might have been displayed, shaping notions of family and identity. The work then raises the question of Glume’s access and the economics surrounding art. Is this a study, a gift, a print for sale? Curator: Precisely. Understanding the methods involved gives clues. The etching process—the acid biting into the metal plate, the layers of ink, the paper—tells a story of artistic labour and production. We have to think about workshops and apprentices. Editor: Thinking about this child's likeness being replicated and circulated, albeit on a small scale, poses some intriguing questions of power and representation during the eighteenth century. Whose image was worthy, and how did this reflect broader social dynamics? Did printed likeness empower or objectify its subject? Curator: Absolutely. By questioning the means of production and the materials themselves, we can better understand the period's socio-economic structures. Thank you. Editor: Indeed. A reminder that even seemingly simple images are entangled with broader histories of power, visibility, and representation.