Wapenbord van Prins Maurits met het devies van de Engelse orde van de Kouseband 1613 - 1617

This painted wooden panel was made to honor Prince Maurits's appointment to the English Order of the Garter. The unknown maker has fashioned a complex heraldic display, packed with symbolic imagery relating to the Prince. The colored surfaces, gilding and intricate carving, would have taken considerable time and skill. This is not ‘high art’ in the traditional sense. But consider all the work involved in the production process, and the artistic merit of a tradesperson or a craftsperson. This object, therefore, gives us an opportunity to challenge the traditional distinction between craft and fine art. As well as reminding us of the ways in which art is always embedded in wider social issues of labor, politics and consumption.