Springtime (Ver Veneris) 1604 - 1683

Editor: This is "Springtime (Ver Veneris)," an engraving by Salomon Savery, dating from 1604 to 1683. It’s got this beautiful woman in the foreground, and then this whole garden scene stretching behind her. I'm struck by how detailed it all is, especially given it’s an engraving. How do you interpret this work? Curator: Let’s think about the material conditions that make a print like this possible. Who had access to this image, and how did it circulate? Engravings like these were a relatively affordable way to disseminate images widely. They weren't unique artworks like paintings, but rather produced in multiples through skilled labor. This print brings "springtime" to people who wouldn't be strolling in aristocratic gardens, doesn't it? Editor: That's interesting. So it’s about access and democratizing the image? The labor involved…the engraver repeating the design. Curator: Exactly. Think about the division of labor in its creation: the designer, the engraver, the printer, and finally the vendors who would distribute this. Then consider who purchased the work and how it reinforced class structures through image consumption and perhaps desire. What might owning a print of an opulent scene signal? Editor: So it's not just about the beauty of the garden or the woman, but about the entire system of production and consumption behind it, and the society’s value in springtime imagery to drive demand. Curator: Precisely! It recontextualizes what we see in the picture to understand the socio-economic conditions of artistic production at that time. Seeing this today gives us insight into the culture and consumerism that shaped art making then, too. Editor: I see the image so differently now! Thank you!