Borstbeeld van een boer met pijp 1776 - 1815

This etching, "Borstbeeld van een boer met pijp", was made by Marie Lambertine Coclers in the late 18th or early 19th century. Coclers was from a family of artists based in the Netherlands, a country known for its detailed genre paintings of everyday life, often focusing on the working class. The image depicts a farmer with a pipe. This was a period of significant social and economic change, with the rise of industrialization and urbanization challenging traditional agricultural ways of life. Images of farmers, such as this, could be interpreted in a number of ways. On the one hand, it could be viewed as a celebration of rural life and traditional values. On the other hand, it could be seen as a commentary on the hardship and poverty faced by many farmers during this period. To fully understand this artwork, it would be useful to research the social and economic conditions of the Netherlands during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, as well as the role of art in reflecting and shaping public opinion.