Landschap met vee en een koets op een bergweg 1791 - 1798

This landscape scene, showing cattle and a carriage on a mountain road, was etched by J.L.L.C. Zentner. The etching process itself is fascinating. A metal plate, likely copper, would have been coated with a waxy ground. The artist then scratches through this ground with a needle, exposing the metal. Immersed in acid, the exposed lines are eaten away, creating grooves. The plate is then inked, and the surface wiped clean, leaving ink only in the etched lines. Pressed against paper, the image is transferred, revealing this scene. The quality of the line, its fineness and precision, speaks to the artist's skill and control over the etching process. Notice how the varying densities of lines create depth and texture. This wasn't just about aesthetics; prints like these were commercial products, made to be sold and consumed, reflecting a growing market for picturesque views and the labor needed to create them. Considering the material and process allows us to understand the work not just as an image, but as a tangible object embedded in a wider social context.