Hier ziet men de varkens haspelen en spinnen / Om zo haar zobere kost te gewinnen 1725 - 1780

Curator: What a wonderfully strange print! This engraving, "Hier ziet men de varkens haspelen en spinnen / Om zo haar zobere kost te gewinnen", was created by Johannes (II) Kannewet sometime between 1725 and 1780. Editor: Yes, odd and captivating. At first glance, the composition feels somewhat naive, yet meticulously rendered in its details. There is a peculiar air, like witnessing a fable unfold. Curator: Note how the artist meticulously depicts the supposed textile production performed by these anthropomorphic pigs. The processes are front and center – spinning, weaving – all explicitly visualized. Editor: Exactly! And those pigs, each engaged in specific tasks...they echo figures found in medieval bestiaries or morality plays. It's rich with symbolism: Pigs often represented greed, and their performance of domestic crafts—typically human work—becomes a powerful satirical image. Are we seeing commentary on class, maybe? Curator: Potentially. By illustrating the process, Kannewet implicates the viewer. Who consumes these textiles, produced by such a ludicrous means? He seems to be questioning the socio-economic systems in place, using the imagery of animals to underscore a specific critique on value. Editor: Absolutely. The verse inscribed below the image hints at moral messaging about the necessity of labor and maybe mockery. There’s also something psychologically resonant in this inversion, this turning upside down of the natural order where swine take on our duties. It sparks questions about labor, and societal structure, doesn't it? Curator: Precisely, and how easily those structures are corrupted when placed outside human domain and perhaps, our own too! Looking closely at the creation of such images gives a valuable insight into the ways meaning is created via production and its implications on broader contexts. Editor: Indeed. Looking at it now, one almost feels a bit sorry for these overworked hogs. Art endures to raise fascinating conversations across centuries, doesn't it?