Decoratieve groep met een mandoline, druiven en ananassen en een festoen met granaatappels en druiven before 1897

This print presents a decorative arrangement, featuring a mandolin, fruits, and festoons, made by an anonymous artist. The monochromatic palette draws attention to the objects' forms. These compositions prompt questions about the artist’s process. Are we looking at carefully arranged real objects, documented through photography, or a meticulous drawing or painting? Regardless, this image celebrates consumption and trade, representing a world of available goods. Pineapples, for instance, were once rare luxuries in Europe, their presence here speaks to global exchange networks. The mandolin adds a layer, perhaps alluding to leisure and artistry. The artist seems to engage with, and elevate everyday life. Whether captured through lens or rendered by hand, this print invites us to consider the artistry inherent in both the arrangement and the reproduction of objects. It blurs the boundaries between still life, craft, and modes of production, prompting us to reconsider traditional art historical categories.