Span paarden 1828

Anthonie Willem Hendrik Nolthenius de Man created "Span paarden," an intriguing piece rendered with an etching technique. This artwork emerges from the early 19th century, a time when the Industrial Revolution was beginning to reshape European society. Horses were essential for both agriculture and transportation. De Man, born into a world on the cusp of modernization, captures these animals at a time when their role was pivotal yet starting to face unprecedented change. In “Span paarden” we see these laboring animals close up. De Man's choice to depict them harnessed suggests a narrative deeply intertwined with work, duty, and perhaps, the silent endurance of creatures bound to human needs. The print elicits a sense of the intimate, a quiet observation that elevates the animals, portraying them not merely as beasts of burden, but as individuals caught in the currents of labor.