Jacht op leeuwen 1600 - 1620

This print, Jacht op leeuwen, or Lion Hunt, was made by Antonio Tempesta, sometime between 1570 and 1630. The image is an etching, a printmaking process that utilizes acid to cut lines into a metal plate. The etcher protects certain areas of the plate with a waxy coating, allowing the acid to bite into the exposed metal. This process is repeated to create areas of different tonal depth, resulting in the image you see before you. The process allowed Tempesta to create details of the hunt scene. The artist, who lived in a time of growing urbanization and expanding trade routes, engaged with an aesthetic that valued meticulous detail and technical virtuosity. The print, as a multiple, would have served to disseminate this aesthetic widely. The very act of reproducing and distributing images through printmaking reflects a society increasingly shaped by commerce and communication. Looking at this print, let's appreciate how the choice of process is deeply entwined with the social and economic context in which it was made. It challenges any neat distinction between art and craft.