Vaas met guirlandes Possibly 1769

This print of a vase with garlands was made around 1769, and it is interesting to consider the labor and skill involved in both its making, and the making of the vase it depicts. The print itself is a product of engraving, a meticulous process that involves carving lines into a metal plate to hold ink and create the image. This technique allowed for the mass production of designs, fueling consumer culture. Consider also the vase, probably made of ceramic, a material requiring precise forming and firing. Notice the garlands and ornate details, alluding to the skilled hands that would have formed them, in clay, wax, or plaster. The vase, as depicted, speaks to a world of skillful making, a kind of labor very different from the reproductive work of the printmaker.