Het huishouden / Le tenir maison 1842 - 1866

This undated lithograph, "Het huishouden / Le tenir maison," by weduwe C. Kok-van Kolm, presents a taxonomy of household objects, rendered in monochromatic tones. The composition is rigidly structured: items are arranged in a grid, each object meticulously outlined and shaded to give volume. This system creates a visual field dominated by repetition and pattern, evoking both scientific cataloguing and domestic order. The form of each object is depicted with precise attention to shape and function. This emphasis on structure reduces each item to its most essential characteristics. The neutrality of the lithographic technique, with its controlled lines and absence of painterly gesture, underscores the conceptual nature of the work. The act of categorization itself challenges fixed meanings. By arranging these items, the artist prompts us to reflect on the underlying systems that structure our understanding of the world, questioning how objects within the domestic space get their meaning through their relationships to one another.