Man met baard (land onbekend) 1569

This print, "Man met baard (land onbekend)," of unknown date, was made by Ferando Bertelli using etching. It depicts a bearded man in traditional clothing. Prints like these were products of their time, reflecting an increasing demand for reproducible images. Etching, an intaglio process, involves coating a metal plate with wax, drawing a design through it, and then immersing the plate in acid. The acid bites into the exposed lines, which are then inked and printed. The result is a detailed image with delicate lines, as you can see here. The printmaking process itself is labor-intensive, requiring skill and precision at every stage. The cost of the materials and the labour involved meant that prints like this would have been luxury items, available to a relatively affluent audience. This challenges our conventional definition of fine art, as it highlights the intersection of artistic expression and skilled craftsmanship.