Minting, Furnace with Bellows for Gold 1771

Editor: This is Robert Bénard’s "Minting, Furnace with Bellows for Gold." It's a print, and it feels almost architectural in its precision. What stands out to you in this depiction of such an industrial process? Curator: The furnace and bellows are instruments of alchemy. Bénard presents not just a process but a transformation – base metals into gold, potential into wealth. It resonates with the human desire to control destiny through symbolic action. Do you feel the weight of that ambition? Editor: I do now! It’s like the artist is showing us the power, and the burden, of creation. Thanks! Curator: Indeed. Seeing the cultural continuity in such a detailed image enriches our understanding, doesn't it?