Hand die de knop van een (wandel)stok vasthoudt 1710 - 1772

This study of a hand holding the knob of a walking stick was made by Petrus Johannes van Reysschoot, a Flemish artist born in Ghent at the start of the 18th century. As a preparatory sketch, it offers a glimpse into the academic artistic practice of the time. In 18th-century Europe, the art academy was becoming an increasingly powerful institution, dictating what was considered good taste, and how art should be made. This drawing would most likely have been produced as a life-drawing exercise, to train the artist in realistic depiction, an essential skill for history painting, the most prestigious genre at the time. This explains the choice of the walking stick as an attribute to indicate the social standing of the model. To better understand the world of the academies and the art they promoted, a good place to start is their own journals and publications. These reveal the social function of art and its significance for 18th-century society.