Vaas met rechthoekige oren 1767

Editor: This is "Vaas met rechthoekige oren," or "Vase with Rectangular Ears," an engraving by P. Moithey, from 1767. It’s a beautiful rendering; the delicate lines on paper give the vase a very clean and elegant presence. What strikes you most about this piece? Curator: It's fascinating to consider how prints like these operated in 18th-century design. Think about the labor involved – the engraver, the paper maker, the distribution networks. This wasn't high art hanging in a palace; it was a reproducible image, likely intended for circulation amongst artisans and those involved in production. These “antique vases” designs functioned as a way of disseminating neoclassicism for other applications like interior decorations. Editor: So, instead of being something just for aesthetic appreciation, you are seeing it as having a purpose related to commerce and consumption? Curator: Precisely. It’s all about the means of production and dissemination. Even the title, “Vases Antique,” points to a broader cultural trend of appropriating classical forms. Consider the material value: the ink, the paper, the tools of the engraver. What stories do these tell about the period? Editor: I hadn't thought about it that way before, viewing the print as more than just an aesthetic object. It makes you wonder about the other unseen labor and production aspects. Curator: Exactly! This print’s not merely an artwork. It's a commodity, a blueprint, evidence of artistic and artisanal labor circulating within a specific social and economic context. How does considering those material elements and the purpose behind this art change your interpretation? Editor: It gives it so much more depth, realizing its role within society at the time and opening the door to considering what other similar prints might have meant in that time. Thanks!