Promotieprent voor Joannes Baptista a Pfeiffersberg (blad voor rechtsonder) 1699

This print was made by Arnold van Westerhout, sometime between 1661 and 1725. The image is brought to life through the skilled cutting of a metal plate, likely copper. As a print, this work is inherently tied to the modes of production. Each impression is identical, made through the repeated application of pressure. This reproductive capacity gives prints a unique social role – disseminating images widely and relatively cheaply. Here, we see an allegorical scene lauding a specific individual, Joannes Baptista a Pfeiffersberg. The print format allows this praise to be distributed broadly, serving as a form of public relations, and possibly even self-promotion. Consider the labor involved: the artist's skill in rendering the scene, the press operator's physical effort, and the infrastructure that enabled the production and distribution of the print. It is important to remember that these mass-produced images, even those celebrating elites, depended on a broad base of labor and consumption. This brings into focus the complex relationship between art, class, and the burgeoning print culture of the early modern period.