Trofee met blaasbalg, vuurtang en ketel 1770

This delicate print was made in 1770 by Johann Heinrich Hess, and features an etching of a trophy made of household implements. Notice the bellows, fire tongs, and kettle, arranged with sprigs of foliage. These are the tools of domestic labour, elevated to the status of art. The image is meticulously etched, line by line, to mimic the appearance of metalwork, and the scene is infused with cultural significance, reflecting the prevailing 18th-century fascination with Chinoiserie. The original object may never have existed, but the print demonstrates an embrace of everyday items into the realm of high art, questioning traditional hierarchies. Hess elevates humble tools to ornamental status, in a move that challenges the distinctions between the functional and the decorative. The amount of intensive labor involved in producing such an intricate etching further underscores the convergence of craft and fine art, highlighting the importance of materials, making, and social context.