Fortuin (Fortuna) 1576 - 1628

Editor: So this is Jan Collaert's "Fortuin (Fortuna)," an engraving from around 1576 to 1628, housed here at the Rijksmuseum. The figure is striking – almost defiant in its nudity. What captures your attention when you look at this piece? Curator: It’s the *making* that truly intrigues me. Look at the intricate labor invested in this engraving. Each line, each tiny mark meticulously etched into the plate. Consider the economic investment of materials in printmaking at the time – paper, ink, the plate itself. How was that paper sourced and produced? Who labored to make these materials available? Editor: That's interesting. I was focused on the figure of Fortuna. Curator: But that figure wasn't just conjured from the artist’s imagination. The ink and paper support this allegorical scene, and also circulate a set of economic conditions. Who had access to this print? What would that access mean? Let's consider the implied networks of distribution and consumption in the early modern era? This artwork speaks volumes about trade, power, and access during this period. How does considering its material creation shift our reading of this allegorical print? Editor: I guess I hadn't considered how the materials used to create the artwork play into its message and meaning. So it's not just *what* is depicted, but *how* it's made and *who* it reached that matters. Curator: Precisely! Seeing art through a material lens forces us to consider the economic, social and material impact of art's production and distribution. We need to acknowledge the art making as labor, bound to capitalistic systems. Editor: That's a really insightful perspective. I’ll definitely be paying closer attention to the materials and their implications in future artworks! Curator: Wonderful! It unlocks another dimension of understanding.