Aanhoord dog zoete jeugd / hoe prijslijk dat hier is de deugd [(...)] 1725 - 1780

This allegorical print was created by Johannes Kannewet, using etching and some engraving on paper. This was a reproductive medium, a way of disseminating imagery widely. Prints like these were made by covering a metal plate with a waxy ground, then scratching an image into it. The plate was then submerged in acid, which bit away the exposed lines. This process could be repeated to add depth and texture to the design. Consider the social context. Printmaking enabled the mass production of imagery, at a time when most art was still unique, expensive, and difficult to access. This print contains multiple scenes, each accompanied by a rhyming verse. The scenes contain symbolic figures in classical dress. It speaks to the values of youth and virtue – but who was this imagery made for? Likely for an emerging middle class, eager to demonstrate its own education and taste. Printmaking democratized the art world, and this print offers us a window into that transformation.