Promotie More Majorum, 1836 1836

Huib van Hove Bz made Promotie More Majorum in 1836 using etching and line engraving. These processes involve coating a metal plate with a waxy, acid-resistant material, drawing into it with a sharp needle to expose the metal, then bathing the plate in acid, which bites into the lines. Ink is then forced into these etched lines, and the plate is pressed onto paper. The effect is precise, allowing for the depiction of the elaborate interior of the church. Look closely, and you'll see the level of detail that Van Hove was able to achieve. The print almost has the quality of a photograph, if photographs had existed then. Consider the work that would have been involved in the production of this image. Not just the drafting of the image, but the actual manual labor of incising it into a copper plate. The print reveals a tension between the hand-made nature of the etching and the modern conditions of mechanical reproduction. It blurs the line between traditional craftsmanship and industrialized processes, challenging our assumptions about art's relationship to labour and value.