Verschillende voorstellingen met oosterse figuren 1817 - 1882

Thomas van Leent made this decal print, titled "Verschillende voorstellingen met oosterse figuren," using etching or engraving. It's a relatively straightforward method of production, involving the precise removal of material to create an image. The print is essentially a collection of small vignettes, each depicting scenes of labor, travel, and daily life, likely somewhere in the East, as imagined by a 19th-century European artist. You can see figures pulling carts, riding horses, and engaging in various activities. The material, paper, and the process, printing, are critical here. They allowed for the mass production and distribution of these images. Consider that the print was made during a time of expanding global trade and colonialism. These images reflect a growing fascination with distant lands and cultures, but also perhaps, the economic realities of labor and production in those places. The artist, although removed from the depicted scenes, is still very much involved in the labor of representing and disseminating them through the printmaking process. It underscores how deeply materials, making, and context are interwoven.