Verklaring bij de prent van het vertrek van prins Willem V, 1795 1795

This print, made by Joannes Bemme in 1795, commemorates Prince Willem V’s departure from Holland. It is an etching, a printmaking process that uses acid to cut into a metal plate, which is then inked and pressed onto paper. The image has a hand-wrought feel despite the mechanical means of its production, because it is built up from finely rendered lines. This labor-intensive technique was ideal for circulating political imagery, though here the effect is more like delicate script. Note the way the text of the proclamation is framed by swags of fabric and floral garlands. The combination gives the announcement a theatrical flair, as though a momentous state occasion. By emphasizing the relationship between the image and the text, and surrounding both with a decorative border, Bemme elevates a political event with craft. This complicates any simple distinction between "fine art" and the artistry embedded in everyday life.