Cartouche met slapende man en twee vrouwen 1731 - 1788

This is an etching called "Cartouche with sleeping man and two women" by Johann Esaias Nilson. It was created in the 18th century, an era defined by the Enlightenment's emphasis on reason, and the Rococo style's embrace of lightness. Nilson, working within this Rococo aesthetic, presents us not with grand narratives but with scenes of intimate, domestic life. The sleeping man, the two women, and even the pets suggest a focus on the everyday, yet these scenes are carefully constructed, framed by ornamental cartouches that speak to the artifice of representation. The relationship between men and women is presented as one of work and leisure, while the women are actively engaged, the man is asleep. The print complicates how gender roles and class distinctions were perceived and performed during this period. It invites us to consider how images like this both reflected and shaped the social realities of 18th-century life.