Mannen en vrouwen aan het werk in een wijngaard 1666 - 1695

Jean Pesne made this print of men and women working in a vineyard sometime in the 17th century. The image captures an agricultural scene with figures pruning trees, constructing frames, and tending to the land. Made in France during a period dominated by absolutist rule, it's tempting to see in this image an idealised vision of rural labour, where everyone fulfills their role. But prints like this also circulated amongst a wide audience of landowners and merchants. They served to codify and circulate knowledge about wine production as an emerging business. The image is more than just a picture; it's a window into the economic and social structures of its time. It's a reminder that art is never created in a vacuum, but is deeply intertwined with the social and institutional context in which it emerges. Historians of technology, landscape, and agriculture may shed further light on this engraving.