Schenkkan van voren 1657

Editor: Here we have Françoise Bouzonnet’s "Schenkkan van voren," an engraving from 1657. It depicts a highly ornate pitcher or vase. I'm immediately drawn to the intricate linework; it's so detailed, even though it’s just a print. What strikes you most about it? Curator: Well, immediately, I'm considering the labor involved in producing such a detailed engraving in the 17th century. Each line is a deliberate act, a testament to the artisan’s skill. And it also raises the question: what was the intended function of this print? Editor: Function? You mean besides being decorative? Curator: Exactly. Was it purely aesthetic, or did it serve as a pattern for other artisans? These kinds of decorative prints were often disseminated and consumed in workshops. So we have to think about this print as both a work of art in itself, but also as a record of making practices that influenced production. It is not outside the real of possibility to think that goldsmiths or ceramics manufacturers could replicate the depicted ornament in functional objects. Editor: That's a perspective I hadn’t considered. The print itself as a kind of raw material. So, instead of focusing solely on Bouzonnet’s artistry, we should also look at how the image was *used* in material production? Curator: Precisely! Consider the social context, too. This kind of ornamentation speaks to wealth, trade, and perhaps even competition between artisans to innovate on pre-existing models. Each element of design also comes to tell something about global economies of the era. What type of material(s) could create the shapes presented here? From where? For whom? These are all material considerations as well. Editor: I'm seeing how examining the means of production reveals a lot about its historical role. Curator: It gives you the tools to understand consumption, not just appreciation! Editor: It certainly reframes how I'll look at prints from this era onward!