Musicerend paar 1670 - 1724

This print, Musicerend paar, was made by Jacob Gole sometime between 1660 and 1737. Its medium is mezzotint, a painstaking process that relies on building up tone. First, the entire copper plate would have been roughened with a tool called a rocker. This burr would hold ink, printing solid black. The artist then burnished or scraped away areas to create lighter tones. The end result has a velvety quality, and it can be used to create subtle gradations of light and shadow, ideal for rendering skin and fabric. This allowed Gole to capture the textures of silk, feathers, and hair, all indicators of wealth and status. Though seemingly worlds apart, mezzotint shares something with practices like weaving: the patient accumulation of detail to create an overall effect. Ultimately, this print is a testament to the labor involved in both artistic creation and the performance of social class. It reminds us that even seemingly effortless displays of elegance are the product of careful construction.