Audiëntie van Cornelis Hop bij de jonge koning Lodewijk XV, 1719 1758 - 1782

Editor: This is "Audiëntie van Cornelis Hop bij de jonge koning Lodewijk XV, 1719," an engraving by Simon Fokke. It looks like quite the formal affair, so grand and organized, even a little stiff. As an engraving, what can we read into the medium itself? Curator: Precisely! Think about the context of printmaking. Engravings like these weren't just aesthetic objects, but means of disseminating information and constructing a public image of power. Who was the audience? Not just the elite, but a wider public consuming images of courtly life. Editor: That makes sense. It’s almost like an early form of mass media. Curator: Absolutely. Consider the labour involved in creating this engraving. Someone meticulously carved that image onto a plate, a skilled artisan interpreting an original painting. How does this reproduction change our relationship to the ‘original’ event and the people involved? What are your thoughts? Editor: I suppose it makes it accessible. It takes this specific, rarefied moment and makes it repeatable, distributable. Is the baroque style here reinforcing a particular message too? Curator: Good point! The Baroque style emphasizes grandeur and spectacle. The intricate details, the vast hall… they're all contributing to a specific kind of propaganda of visibility. It also highlights the power structures at play through the consumption and depiction of this moment. The engraving gives form to power dynamics. Editor: That's fascinating. I never thought about it in terms of labor and distribution like that. It adds a whole other layer to understanding the artwork. Curator: Exactly! Considering the materials and the process behind them helps us unlock a more critical reading of the image and its place in history. Now think about it. Next time you see an artwork, don't just consider what is *in* it but also how and why it *exists*.