Allegorie op Robert Boyle, John Locke en Thomas Sydenham 1735 - 1741

Editor: Here we have Claude Duflos’ engraving from around 1735 to 1741, entitled *Allegory on Robert Boyle, John Locke, and Thomas Sydenham*. The density of the engraving makes it kind of hard to make out all the details… what strikes you when you look at it? Curator: The material and making of this print— the physical labor, the skilled application of the engraver's tools — immediately comes to mind. Engravings such as these were crucial for disseminating knowledge in the 18th century. Note how this piece lionizes Boyle, Locke, and Sydenham. Their work in science, philosophy, and medicine was deemed vital to the functioning of society itself, “Respublica Literaria," if you will. Editor: So, beyond the individual importance of Boyle, Locke, and Sydenham, the very existence of this object facilitated and even participated in the proliferation of their ideas through printed media. How subversive! Curator: Indeed! Consider how this imagery circulated—the paper production, ink manufacture, printing press operation, distribution networks…Each step depended on laborers, craftsmen, and merchants participating in a network of making and selling. It moved ideas, and products, for profit. The image served as both monument and advertisement. Editor: That gives me so much to think about. It is much more than just an image, then. It represents entire production and distribution systems. Curator: Precisely! Recognizing art’s production, circulation, and consumption allows us to better appreciate its role within culture and its power as social agent.