Vase of Flowers on Two Books 

Pierre Laprade made this etching, "Vase of Flowers on Two Books," in the early 20th century. The image is created through a network of fine lines, made by incising a metal plate and then using it to transfer ink to paper. The apparent casualness of the composition belies the skill needed to produce it. Consider the implied labor: from mining and refining the metal of the plate, to the intellectual labor of writing and printing the books. The flowers themselves are of course natural, yet the vase is almost certainly industrially produced. The etching itself is not an editioned print, as Laprade has signed the sheet with his name. As such, it would have been priced as a unique artwork, and aimed at a discerning buyer. In the end, it's the accumulation of all these processes, both artistic and industrial, that gives the image its meaning.