Peter Paul Rubens op zijn sterfbed 1838

This print, depicting Peter Paul Rubens on his deathbed, was created by Willem van Senus, a Dutch artist, in the late 18th or early 19th century. The print medium is a fascinating one, because it stands at the crossroads of art and industry. While Senus obviously possessed the skill to produce this image, the printmaking process inherently relies on reproducibility. This would have allowed for the widespread distribution of the image. We can imagine it being collected in albums, or even used as a source for decorative objects. Consider the labor that went into this relatively small artwork. It begins with the artist’s skilled hand, but then moves into a mechanical realm. The social context of the print is just as important as the image it depicts. The demand for imagery fueled a burgeoning industry, connecting artists to a wider world of commerce and consumption. So, while the print captures a scene of mortality, it also speaks to the vitality of artistic production during this period.