Engel met lans, spons en dobbelstenen c. 1581 - 1645

This engraving, "Angel with lance, sponge and dice," was made by Karel van Mallery sometime between the late 16th and mid-17th centuries. The technique of engraving involves using a tool called a burin to incise lines directly into a metal plate, which is then inked and printed. Notice how the artist has used closely spaced lines to create the illusion of shadow and volume. This was a painstaking, highly skilled process, demanding great precision and control. Consider the social context: printmaking allowed for the widespread distribution of images, making art more accessible to a broader audience. This engraving, with its religious subject matter, would have been part of a larger visual culture, circulating ideas and beliefs through readily reproducible form. Paying attention to materials and making helps us understand its original meaning. It challenges our traditional distinctions between fine art and craft.