Twee jongens met marmot 1750 - 1795

This print, “Two boys with a marmot,” was made by Carlo Domenico Melini, an engraver in the late 18th century. It depicts two privileged children in a carefully arranged rustic setting. This image speaks to the cultural phenomenon of the picturesque in Europe during this period. Landscapes, whether real or imagined, became fashionable as a source of aesthetic pleasure. The idea of the picturesque had a profound influence on visual culture and garden design in the late 1700s. We might think about the image in relation to the work of institutions like the Royal Academy in London. To understand the cultural associations of the image, we can look at period writing on aesthetics and consult books showing the designs of gardens, buildings, and landscapes. These resources help us understand that the boys are not simply sitting in nature, but enacting a set of carefully constructed social attitudes.