Man zittend op rug gezien, vrouwen- of mannenhoofd met muts 1642 - 1664

This print, “Man sitting seen from the back, head of a woman or man with a cap”, was created by Cornelis Bega in the 17th century, using etching, a printmaking technique with a long history. The image is created by incising lines into a metal plate, inking it, and then transferring the ink to paper. The quality of the line is what gives this image its character. Bega has used hatching and cross-hatching to create areas of light and shadow, and the fineness of the lines allows for a high level of detail, even at this small scale. Beyond the image itself, the process of etching speaks to a world of craft production. The etcher needed to be skilled in metallurgy, chemistry, and drawing. While this print may seem far removed from the world of manual labor, it is important to remember that it was made by hand, by a skilled artisan working in a complex social and economic system.