Aanbidding der Koningen 1581 - 1612

Editor: Here we have Theodoor Galle’s "Adoration of the Kings," an engraving made sometime between 1581 and 1612, currently housed at the Rijksmuseum. There’s something very meticulous and carefully wrought about this piece, given the intricacy achievable with engraving. How would you approach this work, considering the medium and historical context? Curator: Given its function as a printed image for dissemination, I focus on the labor invested in the creation and distribution of this piece. The engraving process itself involved significant manual skill, demanding precision to replicate the image effectively. How did this particular print engage in broader cultural consumption during its time? Was it merely an object of religious devotion, or did it also circulate within networks of artistic exchange and commercial markets? Editor: I see your point. It must have taken a while to learn to make these! Given it was a family production - designed by one Galle (Maarten de Vos), engraved by another (Theodoor Galle), and published by a third (Philips Galle) - were there any unique features resulting from such a system? Curator: Indeed! Such collaborative systems indicate that the labor and material inputs of image-making extended beyond individual authorship, blurring traditional boundaries. To consider this print through a materialist lens is to investigate how it facilitated and structured relationships between artists, patrons, and audiences through the exchange of labor and printed matter. These exchanges have an impact beyond purely religious experience, as prints could easily have influenced Northern Renaissance arts & crafts or furniture carving. Editor: So the "value" extends far beyond just religious interpretation then. The context and labour shaped its destiny. Thanks, I've certainly learned something. Curator: Agreed. Looking at art as a form of skilled labour changes everything, right? Thanks for making the discussion lively and fruitful!