Christuskind met wereldbol en slang after 1721

Editor: So, this engraving, "Christuskind met wereldbol en slang" – Child Christ with globe and snake – created after 1721 by Guillaume Pierre Mensaert. It's got this…old master vibe, of course, but I'm really struck by how detailed the lines are, especially considering it's an engraving. What are your first impressions of it? Curator: It's fascinating to consider the process of creating this image. Mensaert, working after Van Dyck, clearly aimed to mimic the style of painting using the very different material of the engraving plate. Think of the labor involved – each line etched, a physical engagement with the copper, a controlled act of replication of another artist’s vision. Editor: Replication? You think he was just copying? Curator: Not exactly. He's intervening. He's transforming paint into incised lines, forcing us to consider the economic implications. Who was commissioning these engravings? What purpose did they serve in disseminating imagery and, by extension, power? What kind of artisan needed the money? Consider that. Editor: Ah, so not just the "art," but the *making* of it as a commercial process, right? I hadn’t thought about that. What about the contrast of smooth baby skin against the rough texture of the globe? Curator: Precisely! The materiality emphasizes social distinctions and labour itself: The baby Christ embodies a certain class, untouched and pristine. The globe represents domination and labour from the depicted lands to make riches. And it also makes one wonder what message and value it gave its contemporary owner. The means of production were never neutral, you know. It's an economic ecosystem as well. Editor: That’s given me a whole new perspective on this. It's like thinking about the means by which art shapes perceptions about labour and faith. Curator: Absolutely. And the physical act of creating it is critical to that understanding.