Aankondiging promotie van monsieur Brillon de Joüy, 1707 1707

This print, made in 1707 by Bernard Picart, is an announcement for the promotion of a Monsieur Brillon de Joüy. It's made through engraving, a printing technique that demands precision and skill. The engraver would have used a tool called a burin to carve lines into a metal plate, likely copper. The depth and density of these lines determine the tones and textures of the final print, from the celestial beings in the upper register to the philosophers below. Ink is then applied to the plate, pressed onto paper, and emerges as a mirror image. Consider the labor involved. Each line meticulously etched by hand, resulting in an image dense with detail and allegorical meaning. Picart would have been a skilled artisan, producing prints like these for a growing market of books, journals, and public notices. The print itself becomes an object of consumption, circulating ideas, and celebrating academic achievement within a specific social sphere. The print represents the world of intellectual pursuit as a commodity, reflecting the burgeoning print culture and academic life of the early 18th century.