Man met aap en bijl 1772

This etching of a man with a monkey and axe was made by Johann Andreas Benjamin Nothnagel in 1772. It's after a painting then thought to be by Rembrandt. The print speaks to the social and institutional contexts of art in the 18th century. Note the inscription. It specifies the dimensions of the original painting and its location in the collection of “M-le Conseiller Ehrenreich” in Frankfurt. In this period, art was increasingly displayed in private collections, becoming a status symbol for the wealthy. The print makes the painting accessible to a wider audience through reproduction. We might ask, what does it mean to copy another artist? Here Nothnagel is working in the shadow of a master, Rembrandt. This raises questions about originality, authenticity, and the canon of art history as it was being constructed at the time. To understand its social context, one might research the market for prints, the collecting of Dutch Masters, or the development of art history as a discipline.