Beeldhouwkunst 1760 - 1784

This small print called Beeldhouwkunst, or sculpture, was made by an anonymous artist, sometime in the 1700s. It gives us a fascinating glimpse into the world of artistic production in the Netherlands during that era. The image depicts a collection of tools associated with sculpture, such as chisels, a mallet, and a ruler, along with a sculptor’s dummy. All are wreathed in flowers. In the 18th century, academies played a dominant role in shaping artistic styles, promoting certain aesthetic ideals, and controlling artistic training. Guilds began to lose power, leaving the academy as the primary institution that decided what was good art. We can see the strong institutional influence on display here in the idealized forms of the natural world, combined with the tools of artistic production, a very academic sensibility. To understand this work more fully, one could consult records from the art academies of the period, and consider how the print might reflect the values and priorities of that particular institutional setting. The meaning of art is always contingent on its historical context.