Jonge vrouw met bladmuziek 1746 - 1793

Theodorus de Roode made this small print of a young woman with sheet music, likely in the late 18th century. The intaglio printmaking process is evident in its fine lines and tonal variations. To create this, the artist would have used a sharp needle to etch the image into a metal plate, which was then inked and pressed onto paper. The choice of intaglio printing allowed for multiple impressions to be made, indicative of a growing market for accessible art in this period. The image itself reflects the cultural values of the time, depicting a woman engaged in a refined pastime, a scene of domesticity and leisure made available through the mechanics of print production. It's interesting to consider how the skills of the artist intersect with broader economic and social trends. The print embodies a fascinating tension between the hand-made and the mechanically produced, and speaks to a shift in the way art was both created and consumed. Seeing art in this way helps us challenge traditional distinctions between fine art and craft.