Riviergod van de Schelde 1772 - 1773

Antoine Alexandre Joseph Cardon created this print entitled "Riviergod van de Schelde". Its monochrome palette and tight composition immediately draw us into a world of classical allegory. The river god reclines, drawing our eyes along the diagonal of his body. Cardon employs line to define form and texture; observe the delicate hatching that models the god’s musculature against the smoother surfaces of the water jug and the river flowing from it. The artist uses a semiotic language rooted in classical antiquity. The figure, the jug, and the laurel wreath are all signs pointing to the god's identity and dominion over the river Schelde. The formal qualities of the print, from its linear precision to its balanced composition, reflect the Enlightenment’s fascination with reason and order. Yet, within this framework, the artist invites us to decode not only the symbols but also the very structure of representation. The artwork stands as a testament to art’s ability to transmit cultural values and to offer new modes of interpretation.