Mei 1722 - 1784

Simon Fokke created this print, titled "Mei," in the Netherlands sometime in the 1700s. It depicts a classical scene of a shepherd encountering a sleeping maiden, while Cupid aims an arrow from above. Looking closely, one wonders: for whom was this made, and what purpose did it serve? These pastoral scenes were common in the art of the era. Aristocrats, increasingly detached from rural life, projected their desires onto idealized images of the countryside. Prints such as this would be collected in albums and consulted for pleasure, or perhaps used by artisans as inspiration for luxury goods. This image creates meaning through visual codes that would have been very familiar to its contemporary audience. Through careful research, the historian can reconstruct the social and institutional context in which this print was made, and reflect on its meaning in a new light.