Gem Engraving, from Encyclopédie 1762 - 1777

Editor: Here we have "Gem Engraving, from Encyclopédie," made between 1762 and 1777 by Benoit Louis Prevost. It’s an etching, a print, on paper, currently held at the Art Institute of Chicago. It’s quite detailed, but also feels distant, technical almost. What historical narratives do you see embedded in this image? Curator: The Encyclopédie itself was a monumental project of the Enlightenment, aiming to compile all human knowledge. This print isn't just a neutral depiction of gem engraving; it’s about power and access to knowledge. Who controlled the means of production of these images? Who had access to them? Editor: That’s a great point. It wasn't widely accessible to all, which makes me question the purported democratic nature of the Enlightenment project. Curator: Exactly! And the figure of the engraver himself – a craftsman meticulously working – embodies a particular kind of labor, situated within a socio-economic hierarchy. Consider, too, that the image served as a tool for standardizing knowledge. How might this standardization affect individual craftsmanship or cultural traditions related to gem engraving? Was this form of labor accessible for all genders and race at the time? Editor: So, this print not only shows a technique, but also reflects broader power dynamics of the era related to labour, knowledge, and accessibility. Curator: Precisely. By looking at this seemingly straightforward image, we can start to unpack a whole range of questions about who gets to create, who gets to learn, and who gets to decide what counts as knowledge. Editor: I never would have considered the intersection of gender, access, labour and power in an image like this at first glance. I’ll definitely remember that going forward. Curator: Wonderful. Keep digging, keep questioning! That’s where the real insights lie.