Titelprent voor Verzamelde Tekeningen en schetsen van Gerardus Lairesse, deel 2 1695

Editor: Here we have Pieter van den Berge’s engraving, "Titelprent voor Verzamelde Tekeningen en schetsen van Gerardus Lairesse, deel 2," from 1695. The stark contrast and intricate linework create an allegorical scene. What does this piece convey to you? Curator: This engraving, with its elaborate allegorical figures, is really a promotional piece. What interests me is not necessarily its artistic merit in the traditional sense, but the economic ecosystem it represents. It's about marketing artistic skill as a commodity, think about the labor involved in producing this engraving; the social relations involved in its distribution, and how the final product caters to very particular consumer tastes in Amsterdam at the time. Editor: So, you’re focusing on the production and consumption of the image itself? Curator: Precisely. Consider the role of the engraver versus that of the artist whose work is being reproduced. Whose labor is valued and why? Where does this image circulate, and who has access to it? What function does it have as part of this bound collection of drawings? The artist Gerard de Lairesse seems to be positioning himself as the authority in a series of works, making statements on artistry, good taste and wealth through visual performance. How would he see himself situated within the Dutch Golden Age economy? Editor: That's interesting, it recontextualizes the image. It's easy to get lost in the allegory and overlook the practicalities of its existence as a manufactured object. Curator: Exactly. Looking at the material reality shifts our perception. I wonder what further inquiry into Berge's relationship to Lairesse, and Lairesse's own socio-economic background would uncover. Editor: I now better grasp the confluence of commerce, labour, and artistry within a piece. It enriches the picture!