Kinderen met tol en vlieger Possibly 1759

Pierre Charles Canot created this print, “Kinderen met tol en vlieger,” at an unknown date using etching and engraving. During the 18th century, there was growing interest in the ‘Orient’ within Europe. Yet, what was created was a fantasy, an imaginary place which bore little resemblance to reality. In this print, Canot reproduces a scene created by Pillement that is clearly meant to represent China. It is a product of European imagination. What is being offered to the viewer is a fiction. The children depicted are stereotypes. They are figures in a European fantasy, which says more about European desires and projections than it does about Chinese people. The image flattens Chinese culture into exoticized imagery, reducing its complexity to mere decoration. As you look at the image, think about what it means to see another culture through the lens of fantasy.