Penning met bustes van Lodewijk van Frankrijk en Maria Anna van Beieren 1702

Editor: So, we’re looking at “Penning met bustes van Lodewijk van Frankrijk en Maria Anna van Beieren,” a print made in 1702 by Gérard Edelinck. It has such delicate linework, almost like it’s spun from thread. What’s particularly striking about the print for you? Curator: I see an interesting intersection of craft and power. The printmaking process itself, the labor involved in engraving such detail, it’s all deployed to reproduce and circulate the images of royalty, embedding their authority. Consider the engraver’s role; they are instrumental in constructing a lasting image that can be reproduced *ad infinitum*. Editor: That makes sense. How would this be different than painting at the time? Curator: Oil paint would require a whole different system. Engraving can facilitate the widespread circulation of royal portraiture far beyond the reach of painted likenesses. Print becomes a tool in constructing and reinforcing monarchical power. What do you think this proliferation suggests about the nature of art and patronage at the time? Editor: I guess it speaks to a broader consumer base and access to luxury goods… How were these engravings generally disseminated at the time? Curator: Consider this print not in isolation, but as part of a network of exchange: think about print sellers, travelling merchants, all the labour that had to coalesce for it to come into existence and circulation. Did that system affect how people viewed the subject matter of these prints? Editor: I see what you mean, seeing them would feel almost like a mundane part of life due to such prolific production. Thanks for clarifying how the medium influenced that. Curator: Indeed. And thinking through these avenues helps us grasp its value and circulation.