[title not known] 

Editor: Here we have an etching by Francis Place from the late 17th or early 18th century, depicting a rather…intense dental procedure, perhaps? The starkness of the scene really jumps out. What do you make of this image? Curator: Ah, yes! It's a scene that makes you wince, doesn't it? I see a dark, comical depiction of the human condition. The exaggerated expressions, the vulnerability… I wonder if Place was commenting on the state of medicine, or perhaps poking fun at social hierarchies? What do you think? Editor: I hadn't considered the social commentary aspect. The expressions are so over the top, it's hard to take it seriously, yet there's definitely something unsettling about it. Curator: Exactly! It’s a strange brew of humor and discomfort. Art is like that sometimes, isn't it? Editor: It certainly is! I see it now.