Oude man leest in een boek c. 1750 - 1800

G. van Citters made this etching of an old man reading in a book, but we don’t know when. The image presents us with an archetypal scholar, set against an indistinct background. He looks like one of the wise men of the old testament, yet the book that he studies could be of any kind. This makes us think about the place of reading and study in the Dutch Republic, as a means of accessing hidden knowledge and universal wisdom. Without any further clues, the artwork remains mute. It falls to us to interpret it using the tools of historical research, exploring the meanings and values that book ownership and readership held in the Dutch Republic. By looking at library inventories, print shop records, or even probate documents, we can start to get a sense of the role that artworks played in the life of the community.