Fabel van de vlieg en de mier 1758

Johann Heinrich Meil created this print, 'Fable of the Fly and the Ant', sometime in the late 18th century. It's a fable, of course, and these kinds of stories were incredibly popular at the time, teaching moral lessons through animal characters. But it's also an image produced within a particular set of institutions. Note the careful detail, the focus on classical ruins and the fountain. Meil was working within an artistic system where precision and classical references were highly valued. This aesthetic spoke to the social elites who collected and commissioned such works. In a way, the print embodies the values of the well-off: order, refinement, and a sense of moral superiority. As historians, we dig into the visual language and the social context in which this print was made. Original prints, historical texts, and archival records can reveal the complex interplay between art, morality, and social class in 18th-century Europe.