Plate XIII 18th-19th century

Curator: The stark lines in this print give it a really unsettling feel. Editor: This is Plate XIII by Jacques-Francois-Joseph Swebach, currently held at the Harvard Art Museums. The lines may be due to the printmaking process. I wonder about the kind of paper, the pressure of the press... Curator: To me, it speaks to authority and direction. The figure on foot is emphatically pointing. Is he leading or ordering? Editor: Perhaps this print was part of a larger series depicting aspects of labor, of feudal obligation even. Curator: Or it could be a single moment, a snapshot of power dynamics, frozen for eternity. Editor: Yes, and the printmaking process itself—reproducible, distributable—democratizes this snapshot, taking it from a rarefied world to a wider audience. Curator: It’s a rather ominous image, isn't it? Editor: Indeed, and made all the more poignant by considering its material production.