Card-Maker, from Encyclopédie 1762 - 1777

This is Benoit Louis Prevost's engraving, "Card-Maker," one of the many plates commissioned for the "Encyclopédie." Its visual structure is divided into two distinct registers. Above, tools are meticulously arranged, each rendered with precise detail against the stark white background. Below, a table is depicted in linear perspective, displaying the instruments and materials necessary for crafting playing cards. This piece is not merely an objective record; it's an articulation of Enlightenment ideals, classifying and ordering the world through visual means. Each tool, from punches to brushes, embodies a stage in the card-making process, transforming raw materials into objects of leisure and commerce. The contrast between the ordered array of tools and the active workspace suggests a transition from abstract knowledge to concrete application. Consider how the act of cataloging becomes a form of control and understanding. The clean lines and organized composition reflect the period’s obsession with rationality and empirical observation. The print invites us to contemplate the structures that underpin not only artisanal practices but also broader systems of knowledge and power.