Maria met opwaartse blik in ovaal 1673 - 1738

Editor: Here we have "Maria met opwaartse blik in ovaal," an engraving from between 1673 and 1738, currently residing at the Rijksmuseum, by an anonymous artist. There's something so striking about the textures achieved purely through the engraving process. How do you read the artistic choices and the effect the materials themselves bring to this portrayal? Curator: It's critical to see this engraving as a product of its socio-economic context. The lines, the method of production - engraving itself was a craft. We need to consider who was producing these engravings, the labor involved, and how this image would have been consumed. This was reproductive technology disseminating imagery to a wider audience. Editor: That’s a great point, how it connects to a wider audience! I was initially thinking about it solely as a devotional image. Curator: Precisely. But think about the materials - copper, ink, paper – all commodities traded within a global network. Engravings like these played a part in a burgeoning capitalist system, circulating ideas and ideals, including this representation of Mary. And what of the artist’s hand versus the mechanization of printing? Where does artistry lie within this process? Editor: It blurs the line, doesn't it? The skill is evident, but the end product becomes something more functional, part of a bigger system. Curator: Indeed. The image’s devotional aspect exists, but it's inseparable from the conditions of its production and the patterns of its consumption. It forces us to think beyond individual genius to broader cultural forces at play. Editor: I'll never look at an engraving the same way again. Considering the means of production really opens up a different perspective. Curator: Exactly! And that expanded perspective helps us appreciate art not as isolated objects, but as integral parts of a much larger historical and social fabric.