Nehalennia-altaar met gezeten Nehalennia en twee vliegende figuren met palmtakken 1715

Editor: Here we have a 1715 engraving of the Nehalennia altar, currently housed at the Rijksmuseum. The figure of Nehalennia herself seems to be the central focus, with two smaller, cherubic figures flanking her. What are your thoughts on this piece? Curator: Well, focusing on its material conditions and means of production, this engraving wasn't just art. It was a form of reproducing and distributing information. Look closely at the inscription. This wasn't necessarily about aesthetic pleasure, but about memorializing and disseminating knowledge of this altar to a wider audience, likely scholars and antiquarians of the time. Editor: That's interesting. So, you're saying its value lies more in its function as a tool for circulating knowledge? Curator: Precisely. Consider the labor involved in creating this engraving. An artisan meticulously translates a three-dimensional object, likely a stone carving, into a two-dimensional printed image. What was the purpose of creating a pen-and-ink or sketched engraving as the medium of choice, not oil paint, marble, etc? Editor: Maybe to increase accessibility? Engravings are reproducible. Curator: Exactly! And consider the social context. The engraving allows people unable to see the physical Nehalennia altar to nevertheless gain knowledge. How does the choice of printmaking, and its ability to be reproduced, affect how we understand high art versus functional artifact? Editor: That makes me see it in a totally new light, less as an artistic depiction and more as a historical document shaped by very specific means of production and social needs. Curator: The labor and materiality embedded in its creation speaks volumes about the culture that produced it, doesn't it? I would bet that many more similar engravings are yet to be appreciated for that insight.