Judit met het hoofd van Holofernes 1658 - 1677

Editor: We're looking at Wallerant Vaillant's "Judith with the Head of Holofernes," an engraving made sometime between 1658 and 1677, currently held at the Rijksmuseum. I find the greyscale incredibly striking; it lends a stark, almost photographic quality. How would you interpret this piece? Curator: As a materialist, I find the choice of engraving particularly relevant. The medium itself speaks volumes about production and distribution in 17th century Europe. Engravings facilitated the reproduction of images, enabling broader access to both artistic narratives and the artist’s technique, consider this work and the availability of the image: were you just Judith then how could you afford a portrait? How are you as an audience afforded this glimpse? Editor: So, it's about democratizing the artwork through reproducible methods? But doesn’t that cheapen the artistry itself, or is that even a valid concern here? Curator: That's a modern concern, predicated on hierarchical artistic value; an anachronistic application to historical process. This technique offered a consistent standard; to control labor so that output met expected goals. Instead of viewing reproduction as a dilution, we must see the labour behind this: its deliberate intention to distribute certain values or propaganda. Do you think that seeing Judith reproduced as this figure shifts our appreciation or analysis of the historical, or her religious weight? Editor: That's a point I hadn’t considered. So, seeing this as a study of labor shifts my perspective entirely. Curator: Indeed! Shifting our appreciation towards the economic and social functions embedded within the production of an engraving can offer fresh insights. Editor: Well, I will now view prints with far more than just artistic judgement; production also.