Kandelaar met guirlandes 1772 - 1779

Editor: Here we have "Kandelaar met guirlandes," a print by Jean Pelletier from around 1772 to 1779, currently at the Rijksmuseum. The stark lines and simple form give it an almost technical drawing feel, yet the decorative garlands add a touch of baroque elegance. How do you approach a piece like this? Curator: Well, as a materialist, I find it compelling to consider this engraving not merely as a representation, but as an object embedded within a specific system of production. What materials were readily available? Paper, obviously, but also copper plates for engraving. Who had access to those materials, and how did they learn the trade? Editor: So you're less interested in the symbolism and more in the physical creation of the print? Curator: Precisely. The precision suggests a workshop environment. The division of labor inherent in printmaking – who designed, who engraved, who printed – shapes the final product. We should also consider its purpose. Was this a design to be replicated by artisans? Was it an educational tool? Editor: That's a perspective I hadn't considered. I was focused on the classical elements and the artist’s intentions. Curator: But the classical elements are themselves products of a system! Think of the training involved in mastering those forms, the economic factors that allowed for such training. Were there guilds controlling the production of such objects, maintaining specific material standards? It's about tracing the chain of creation, consumption, and its position within 18th-century social structure. Editor: So it’s not just about the candlestick, but everything that went into its depiction and possible reproduction as an object. I find the layers involved really amazing. Curator: Indeed! Seeing the artistic object as part of this extended materiality really does make you wonder about all that an image, like this print, entails about a past material world.