Geleerde die zijn pen snijdt 1840 - 1841

This print of an elderly scholar, made by Franciscus Bernardus Waanders, shows the delicate process of preparing a quill for writing. The skill of the artist is evident in the intricate lines of the engraving, a method of printmaking that requires painstaking labor. The image focuses on the scholar’s own labor, carefully slicing the feather with a small knife. The scholar’s world depended on such manual techniques. Without a finely prepared quill, the knowledge he sought to record would remain elusive. This image is a direct link to the era of meticulous handcraft, before the advent of mass production. Waanders elevates the value of craft, while reminding us of the intimate connection between the material and the intellectual. It invites us to consider the labor involved in the production of knowledge, and the subtle ways in which the means of production shapes our understanding of the world.