Bybelsche historien. III 1761 - 1804

This print, titled "Bybelsche historien. III," was made by Erven de Weduwe Jacobus van Egmont. It is a woodcut, a relief printing process where an image is carved into a block of wood, then inked and pressed onto paper. The stark contrast between the cut and uncut areas of the block defines the image. See how each line and shape is a result of deliberate carving? The texture of the wood itself may even subtly appear in the print. Woodcuts like these were relatively inexpensive to produce. Their accessibility meant that biblical stories could be widely distributed, shaping popular understanding. The labor of the printmaker, carefully cutting away at the block, is evident in every line, an act of devotion mirroring the stories depicted. Consider the social context, too: printing made knowledge available to a wider audience. This print is not just an artwork, but an artifact of a changing world, where art and information were becoming more democratized.