Design for a Cartouche and Representation of 'Hearing', Plate 3 from 'Neu Inventierte auf die artigste Facon Sehr nutzliche Schild.' 1745 - 1755

This is Johann Georg Pintz's "Design for a Cartouche and Representation of 'Hearing'," a print that's part of a larger series exploring the five senses. This piece invites us to consider how hearing was conceived within the social and cultural framework of its time. The central figure plays a harp, surrounded by listeners, all framed by elaborate ornamentation. But this isn't merely a depiction of music. It reflects the era's understanding of sensory experience as curated and refined, a privilege often associated with the upper classes. The very act of framing hearing within a cartouche suggests a desire to contain and control this sense, to present it as a symbol of cultivated taste. Consider how the visual language reinforces social hierarchies, where access to harmonious sounds and the appreciation thereof might have been perceived as a marker of status. How does this historical perspective challenge or affirm our contemporary understanding of sound and listening?