Handelsetiket met twee hoorns in een lauwerkrans met een kroon c. 1681 - 1740

Curator: Looking at this print, I am immediately struck by its stark contrasts—a study in monochrome intensity. Editor: Indeed. We’re observing "Handelsetiket met twee hoorns in een lauwerkrans met een kroon," or Trade Label with Two Horns in a Laurel Wreath with a Crown, created by Isaac Vincentsz van der Vinne, sometime between 1681 and 1740. What details can we unpack about the creation process here? Curator: Well, it’s an engraving, a type of printmaking. Considering its age, the craftsmanship is notable; someone carefully cut lines into a metal plate. And those tools themselves... how did those artisans secure and fund this type of job and process? The availability of the engraving depended, certainly, on class. Editor: And the symbology woven into that technical process. Those horns aren't simply decorative—they symbolize power and authority within a certain system, echoed by the laurel wreath, a clear nod to classical ideas of victory and status. Curator: Consider its purpose as a trade label, that repetitive mark-making by a workshop contributes to the construction of identity. This imagery, disseminated and consumed across a region, speaks volumes about trade practices. How was it perceived and utilized by consumers? Editor: It’s intriguing to consider. Was it empowering for a merchant to attach a touch of nobility? I am also pondering its message in this context. How much was a brand exercising their self-image with visual reminders to the general populace, and where exactly would these labels show up, beyond simple declarations of quality and ownership? Curator: Indeed. Consider how this item has come into our holdings. What processes or market factors prompted these workshops to generate these prints and ensure their availability? It shows a very early engagement between supply, manufacture and self-branding, all rolled into one consumable material item. Editor: It leaves me pondering about the visual politics surrounding branding today. What kind of symbolic power did similar artistic endeavors embody during its creation, compared to the brand we see today, in 2024? Curator: Definitely material for thought, a lot to read into an engraving made centuries ago! Editor: Agreed; thanks for unpacking so much.