Plattegrond van Versailles 1746

Editor: Here we have a drawing from 1746, "Plattegrond van Versailles" by an anonymous artist. It's made with pen, engraving, and print on paper. The precision is striking. What can you tell us about it? Curator: This piece offers a fascinating glimpse into the material and social underpinnings of power in 18th-century France. Forget the finished product, the gilded halls and manicured gardens. This print, the result of skilled labor, speaks to the massive organizational effort required to produce and maintain Versailles. Editor: So you’re looking past the grand design? Curator: Absolutely. Consider the materials themselves – the paper, the ink, the metal plates used for engraving. Where did they come from? Who produced them? This wasn’t just artistic expression; it was a complex network of production, a chain of labor extending far beyond the palace walls. The map flattens it out, rendering it abstract. Editor: That’s interesting! How does the act of mapping fit into that materialist view? Curator: Mapping itself is a technology of power. It imposes a rational order on the landscape, claiming dominion over space. Notice the rigid geometry of the gardens, the regimented rows of trees. It signifies control, not just over nature, but also over the people who toiled to create this artificial paradise. How was the material extracted? Editor: So, it's less about aesthetic beauty and more about... the logistics of power? Curator: Precisely. It's about recognizing that even seemingly refined artworks are embedded in material conditions and social relations. By analyzing the means of production, we can begin to understand how art served to reinforce existing power structures. Editor: That gives me a completely new way of appreciating – or maybe questioning – artworks like this. Thank you! Curator: Indeed! The map makes the viewer aware of what went into designing and building the physical space itself.