Allegorie op de verheffing van Willem IV tot erfstadhouder en op de Liberale Gifte after 1747

This allegory on the elevation of Willem IV was etched by Jacob Schenk in the mid-18th century. As a print, it was of course made using an industrial process, but it also required a high degree of hand skill, to describe the complex scene in fine detail. Consider the relationship between the overall design and the precision of its execution. The composition celebrates the Dutch royal house with justice and peace, but it also highlights the importance of commerce to the Netherlands. Note all the emblems of global trade: ships, laden scales, and coffers overflowing with coinage. The labor of the printmaker, Schenk, here visualizes the wealth of the Dutch empire, acquired through the labor of countless others. Printmaking itself was central to that mercantile system, advertising its products far and wide. So this image prompts us to consider the complicated, sometimes uneasy, relationship between labor, politics, and consumption.