Allegorische voorstelling met Geschiedenis en vrouw met vleugels aan het hoofd 1748

Editor: Here we have an allegorical print from 1748, titled "Allegorische voorstelling met Geschiedenis en vrouw met vleugels aan het hoofd" – which translates to “Allegorical Representation with History and woman with wings on the head." It’s an engraving by an anonymous artist. The density of the lines creating shading is impressive. What do you make of this, looking at it from your perspective? Curator: For me, this engraving opens up a fascinating discussion about the printmaking industry of the 18th century. Look at the detailed inscriptions at the bottom naming the Goetzee family - printers and booksellers. This wasn't necessarily "high art," but a commodity produced through specialized labor. Editor: So, you see it more as a product of industry than a standalone artistic statement? Curator: Exactly. The value, in my view, isn’t solely aesthetic. Consider the labor invested in cutting these intricate lines into a metal plate. Who were these artisans? What was their social standing? How was the knowledge transferred? This object provides clues into the system that allowed its making. Editor: Interesting! So even the allegorical figures – History, for example – relate back to the production itself? Curator: Yes! History isn't some ethereal concept here; she's connected to the physical act of producing and circulating historical knowledge, manifested in this book, this engraving. Note also the books stacked near the lower figure, they underline the consumer aspect of this image as part of a circuit between artists, tradesmen and buyers. Editor: That completely shifts my perspective. I was initially drawn to the figures, but now I see the whole process. Curator: That’s what a materialist reading offers—a shift in focus from the image as an isolated entity, to its embeddedness within the conditions of its production. Editor: Thanks so much. I never would have thought of it that way.