Middag: drie vrouwen met waaiers en een man bij een fontein 1741

Nicolas de Larmessin III created this print, "Middag: drie vrouwen met waaiers en een man bij een fontein," using etching and engraving. The image is rendered through thousands of tiny lines incised into a metal plate. This was a highly skilled, labor-intensive process. Larmessin would have used specialized tools to achieve different effects – fine lines for delicate shading, heavier cuts for bolder outlines. The very act of producing this print embodies the social hierarchy it depicts, a leisure scene of elegant figures in a garden. The material qualities of the print – its monochrome palette, smooth surface, and reproducible nature – are all products of the printmaking process, and allowed for a wider distribution of such images in the 18th century. The lines of the print almost appear like fabric, a reference to the lifestyle of the people in the picture who are wearing the expensive materials. Considering the materials and processes behind this artwork allows us to recognize that the subject of the artwork has strong connections to modes of production, labor, and class.