Aurora op een door twee gevleugelde paarden getrokken wagen 1873

Edouard Taurel made this print of Aurora on a chariot drawn by two winged horses in 1873. The goddess Aurora presides over the dawn, and we see her here accompanied by cherubic figures. Made in Amsterdam, this image draws on the visual codes of classical mythology. The winged horses and classical robes give the image a sense of timelessness and authority. Printmaking like this was a major industry in the Netherlands, and prints were often made for mass distribution. This print of Aurora would have been relatively inexpensive and accessible to a wide audience and demonstrates the democratization of classical imagery in the 19th century. By studying the printmaking industry in Amsterdam, alongside the classical sources used in the image, we can start to understand the cultural and social context that shaped its production. Art history relies on this kind of research to give meaning to images like this.