Vignet med Bog, Krans og Fasces 1726 - 1757

Editor: We’re looking at a print called "Vignet med Bog, Krans og Fasces," dating between 1726 and 1757, currently held at the SMK in Copenhagen. It looks like an engraved page from a book. There's a lot of dense text and a decorative vignette at the top. It feels very formal and of another time. What catches your eye about it? Curator: I immediately consider the production of this printed page. It is clearly not 'high art' but serves as a vehicle for the dissemination of knowledge and ideas, made accessible through the labor of the printer, engraver, and the materials—paper, ink, metal—that render text and image repeatable. Editor: So, you're thinking about it less as a standalone image and more about how it was made and distributed? Curator: Precisely. How does the choice of materials –the relative cheapness of paper versus a painted canvas– affect who might have access to this information? Or what kind of labor goes into setting type? These questions pull us away from a purely aesthetic reading toward a materialist analysis, looking at the social and economic forces at play in its creation. Editor: That makes sense. It’s not just about the content of the text, but the very means by which that content reaches an audience. Curator: And the "Vignet" itself points to a breakdown between high and low art – the image meant to grab attention for mass consumption. It speaks volumes about the world it inhabits, doesn't it? Editor: I’ve never really considered the role of printmaking that way before, in terms of democratizing knowledge. This helps me see prints from this era as products of labour and tools for information.