Een man en een haan bij een huis

Jan Wandelaar created this print, "A Man and a Rooster by a House," in the Netherlands sometime in the first half of the 18th century using etching. Prints like this one existed within a broader culture of images that shaped social life in the Dutch Republic. Printmaking as an industry allowed for the relatively inexpensive distribution of images to a wide audience. This in turn enabled the circulation of ideas, satire, and political commentary. Here, we see a man accompanied by a rooster, opening a door to find three figures inside. The print includes the words "Luciaens Droom of de Haan" which references the satirical dialogues of the ancient writer Lucian, but also points to the importance of dreams and satire as commentary on Dutch society. As art historians, we can use sources such as printed books, pamphlets, and archival records to better understand the artist's sources and the possible interpretations of this work in its original context.