Brief aan de commissie van de Tentoonstelling van Levende Meesters in Den Haag Possibly 1842

This letter, penned in 1844 by Jean Baptiste Louis Maes Canini, is composed of paper and ink. These humble materials, ubiquitous even then, belie the social complexities embedded in their use. Consider the labor involved: from the rag-pickers who gathered scraps for the paper mill, to the mill workers themselves, transforming waste into a pristine surface. The ink, too, required its own chain of production, from the collection of soot or gallnuts to the grinding and mixing processes. Canini, writing to the exhibition committee in The Hague, was deeply concerned with his reputation. His elegant script, practiced and refined, speaks to the importance of appearances in the art world. The letter itself becomes a carefully crafted object, intended to persuade and impress, reflecting the artist's understanding of the social and economic forces at play in the art market of his time. We're reminded that even the simplest materials can carry significant cultural weight.