Bloemen in een vaas

Editor: This etching, "Bloemen in een vaas," or "Flowers in a Vase," created sometime between 1811 and 1849 by Maria Geertruida de Goeje-Barbiers, has a delicate, almost scientific illustration quality. It feels like a botanical study captured in monochrome. What can you tell me about it? Curator: It's fascinating to consider the labour involved in producing an image like this. Each line of the engraving was carefully etched. Given the dates, consider how this print would have been produced. Etching involved skilled artisans, tools and specialized materials. It represents a whole chain of production and consumption. How does that influence your reading of the piece? Editor: I hadn't considered that chain of production. Knowing it's an etching, seeing the skill involved...it feels different from a mass-produced print. Was etching a common skill for women artists at the time? Curator: Exactly. The artist's access to materials and training would have been determined by social and economic factors, as well as her gender. Also, consider the market for these images: who was purchasing them? Where would they have been displayed or stored? Were they used for educational purposes, or for personal enjoyment? Editor: That’s a great point! Thinking about where the prints ended up highlights how artistic creation isn’t separate from the society it's made in, even for what seems like a simple flower drawing. Curator: Precisely. The means of production informs its value, both artistic and economic, and how we perceive it now. Editor: Thanks, I never would have considered that. It really helps to shift my perspective on how to approach this piece. Curator: Likewise, it helps me think about what is often unseen, obscured.