Cat concert

Entertainment and fun

This print depicts a humorous tavern scene with a cheerful group of people, a popular subject in the 17th century. Tavern scenes show fragments of everyday life, with a moralising undertone beneath a layer of humour. They draw the attention of respectable citizens to the “reprehensible behaviour” of the “common” people.

This print shows a man holding a cat under his arm and squeezing it as if it were a bagpipe. The poor animal farts in the face of the woman on the right, who is holding a music sheet. On the left are two children with pipes. The moralising message in this print is not about how the cat is being mistreated. People in the 17th century were not particularly concerned about that. The moral is mainly about the licentious behaviour of the man and woman in the tavern in the presence of children. Entertainment and pleasure take precedence over hard work and good behaviour.

Mezzotint

The original printmaker is Jan van Somer. However, the object in the collection of the Ypres Museum is by Wallerant Vaillant and is a mezzotint. This is a special printing technique invented around 1640 by the German artist Ludwig von Siegen. Wallerant Vaillant was one of the first practitioners of mezzotint in the Netherlands. This is therefore an early example of this technique.

But how do you make a mezzotint? First, a copper plate is roughened all over with a serrated, fan-shaped instrument. Some parts are then polished smooth again. When the copper plate is ready, it is inked and prints can be made. The ink adheres better to the rough than to the smooth parts. This creates light and dark areas. By polishing more or less, grey tones or halftones are created. This is also where the name of the technique comes from, as mezzo means half in Italian. All these nuances in grey tones give mezzotints a velvety appearance. Initially, the technique was only used in shades of grey, but later it became possible to work in colour as well.