Helft van latwerkpaviljoen met details Possibly 1726 - 1765

Cornelis Danckerts the second made this print of a latticework pavilion in the Netherlands, at the turn of the 18th century. As an etching, its stark lines were achieved by drawing through a wax ground on a metal plate, which was then acid-etched and printed. But while the printmaking process is interesting in itself, consider the subject. Latticework like this was usually made of wood, formed into a delicate tracery. So, what we have is an image of craft, made by industrial means. This was the age of proto-capitalism, and the built environment was increasingly being mediated through printed images like this one. Consider the labor implied. It took a skilled designer to generate the image, and an equally skilled artisan to translate it into three dimensions. This print collapses both of those activities into one reproducible image. So while the print industry was becoming more industrialised, this image speaks to the value of craft and design in society.