Haan 1792

This is a diminutive engraving of a rooster by Pieter van Woensel. The rooster, meticulously rendered, is framed within a rectangular border that contains a didactic inscription at the bottom. The lines are crisp, illustrating a strong sense of detail in its plumage, and stand in contrast to the solid, textual elements around it. The engraving uses the rooster as a signifier, referencing its known traits to illustrate themes related to education and behaviour. Its upright posture and forward-facing gaze embody vigilance, and its existence within this structured format suggests a larger cultural coding. It challenges fixed meanings as it is a part of educational material. The structural layout of the text in relation to the image is particularly striking; it's more than a mere illustration – it's a piece of visual rhetoric, designed to shape values and understanding. This little artwork becomes a site where art and ideology meet, prompting ongoing reflections on the function of imagery in molding cultural norms.