Drie badende vrouwen of nimfen bij een fontein 1752 - 1817

François Denis Née made this print, ‘Drie badende vrouwen of nimfen bij een fontein,’ using etching and engraving. It shows a romanticized vision of classical architecture overgrown with nature, complete with bathing nymphs. The magic of a print like this lies in its making. Consider the labor, not only of Née himself, but of the artisans who made the tools he used: the engravers and etchers who transferred the design onto the copper plate. This was skilled work, requiring years of training. Think, too, about the paper, the ink, and the press itself. Each of these required different kinds of specialists. This ‘artwork’ is better understood as a collaborative enterprise. Looking at the finished print, we tend to think about its subject – the nymphs, the architecture. But it's worth thinking about the complex social network, the division of labor, that made its production possible. The materials, the making, and the context are all equally important to understanding the meaning of the artwork.