Portret van vier broers uit de familie Terres, boekhandelaren te Napels 1785 - 1786

Editor: This is "Portret van vier broers uit de familie Terres, boekhandelaren te Napels" made between 1785 and 1786 by baron Dominique Vivant Denon. It’s a lithograph, an etching, a print. It has a somewhat claustrophobic feeling, doesn’t it? Almost like the four brothers are crammed into a single room. What stands out to you? Curator: The print speaks volumes about the Terres brothers' social standing as book merchants, emphasizing their mode of production and dissemination of knowledge. What’s interesting to consider is the labor that went into the creation of both the books they sold, and Denon's artistic output as prints such as this made art accessible to a wider audience. What do you notice about the way they are positioned, relating to the book or paper they are holding? Editor: It seems to be a book or some sort of document, right? The way they all lean in, they appear completely absorbed by whatever’s on the page. I suppose that draws attention to literacy and knowledge production, highlighting their roles as book merchants. What does that mean for society back then? Curator: Absolutely. Consider the raw materials involved – the paper, ink, the printing press itself, the labor of the artisans involved in its making, versus its social utility to transfer information in those days, right before the French Revolution. Are we to look at this piece as Baroque or pre-Enlightenment in the view of new production approaches? Editor: That’s something I hadn't thought about before - all the hands, literal and figurative, that helped disseminate literature and knowledge, the production. Thanks for expanding how I saw this artwork. Curator: Of course. Thinking about art as labor can enrich our understanding of history. It was great discussing this piece together.