Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1767 1767

Joseph Duplessis painted this image of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1767, using oil on canvas. Consider the luxury of the materials depicted here. Mozart is shown in a silk robe, seated at a harpsichord with an ornate lacquer finish. The pigments for the painting itself would have been costly. Even the sheets of music in his hands represent a considerable investment of time and skill in their production. Paintings like these reflected and reinforced social hierarchies. The materials, the labor, and the artistry involved were accessible only to a privileged elite. Through Duplessis's skilled brushstrokes, these elements combine to present Mozart as a prodigy and a figure of refinement, worthy of admiration and patronage. Taking a close look at the material qualities of the work, and the way that it signifies its social context, makes clear the deep connections between art, labor, and class.