De dwerg Doctor Rocus Tabacius, 1720 1718 - 1720

Curator: This is an engraving titled "De dwerg Doctor Rocus Tabacius" created between 1718 and 1720. Editor: It's immediately striking. That oversized figure with the pipe...almost comical, but also vaguely unsettling. Curator: Joost van Sassen, the artist, satirizes Doctor Rocus, likely a tobacco merchant. Consider the materials – printmaking allowed for mass production, disseminating this caricature widely. It becomes a commentary on the booming tobacco trade and the social status attached to it. Editor: And what about all that smoke? The figure’s literally crowned in it, emphasizing excess, even a kind of twisted regality tied to tobacco. We see diminutive figures further back almost like laborers or servants catering to the doctor's…indulgence? It recalls imagery of imperial authority. Curator: Exactly. The engraving highlights the relationship between labor and consumption. The processing, sale, and enjoyment of tobacco were all intrinsically connected. Notice, the fine lines meticulously rendered—the labor involved speaks to both artistic skill and the larger economic picture. The cultural norms that permitted, even encouraged, this industry—the demand it met and fuelled—that’s where meaning is constructed. Editor: It certainly prompts questions. Tobacco was clearly central to culture. He is also a Doctor. Could it be poking fun at then current understanding of heath? The pipe acts almost as a scepter. A satire on economics and status! Curator: A society becoming more and more focused on mercantile trade, enabled by mass printed material. The production processes are intrinsically tied to meaning. Editor: A pointed portrayal—one filled with visual cues regarding both individual and cultural habits. Food for thought!