Kader met twee putti bij een piëdestal after 1778

Curator: Welcome. Before us is a print entitled "Kader met twee putti bij een piëdestal," or "Frame with two putti by a pedestal," made after 1778. It’s attributed to Jan Gerard Waldorp and resides here at the Rijksmuseum. It’s a delicate engraving. What are your first thoughts? Editor: The first thing that strikes me is the phrase printed so deliberately in the center: "Kunst Word Door Arbeid Verkreegen"—Art is obtained through labor. It underscores artmaking not as divine inspiration, but a tangible, social act tied to effort and time. Curator: Exactly. See how the putti flank a classical relief. They are winged cherubs, ubiquitous symbols in Western art. The inscription below makes clear it's a gift for an art society. Their slogan proclaims, "Art is obtained through labor." Editor: So, an allegorical print, functioning like a gift or certificate to symbolize art's tangible and collective production. How fascinating! The print itself represents artistic output, yet the inscription points to the societal context—who owned these images? Who consumed art, and for what purposes? Curator: It makes you wonder about the relationship of the art society. Who did Waldorp dedicate the print to? Was there a commission involved? Waldorp was well-versed in these baroque visual tropes, readily embracing this well-worn visual language. Editor: These fine lines suggest painstaking labour and precision. Engraving after 1778 wouldn’t have been novel. This would have demanded the technical skills within a clearly defined commercial system. And those neoclassical motifs signal an ambition, aspiring for high-art status! Curator: Indeed, symbols embedded within symbols, referencing both classical history painting and contemporary artistic patronage. What's fascinating is the way in which this object straddles art history and also documents, in this sense, an appreciation of artistry and community. Editor: An ode to dedication… framed, literally and conceptually, within its very means of production. I love the interplay of material labor and the symbolic language of art! Curator: I agree! Such a tiny print holding grand aspirations, and prompting such large conversations.