Ontwerp voor een zaalstuk: standbeeld van zintuig Gezicht, daarnaast een jongen met vergrootglas en vrouw met kijker 1715 - 1798

This "Design for an overdoor panel: statue of the Sense of Sight, with a boy with a magnifying glass and a woman with a telescope", was made by Dionys van Nijmegen in the 18th century using pen, brush and watercolor. The nature of these materials immediately tells us something about the kind of image this is: not a finished artwork, but a proposal, a design that someone was hoping to realize at full scale. The artist is using the inherent fluidity of watercolor to create a light, airy effect, perfect for a room that would presumably be used for leisure. The design’s overt subject is sight, and the ways that it can be enhanced, whether by simple lenses or complex devices. But the image also speaks to the importance of skilled labor. Van Nijmegen clearly had superb command of his chosen media, and the patrons who were considering commissioning this overdoor panel would have been purchasing not just an image, but evidence of the artist’s own discerning vision and the ability to execute it. So, consider this drawing a lens in itself, offering insight into the culture of connoisseurship that flourished at the time. It reminds us that aesthetic pleasure is always bound up with a sense of the work that goes into producing beautiful things.