Terugkeer van de verkenners uit Kanaän / Mozes en de koperen slang 1716 - 1791

This print, "Return of the Explorers from Canaan/Moses and the Copper Serpent" was made by Pieter Tanjé in the 18th century, using etching and engraving. The choice of these techniques is significant. Etching involves coating a metal plate with wax, scratching an image into it, and then using acid to bite the exposed lines. Engraving is a more direct, laborious process, cutting lines into the metal. Both are printmaking techniques, meaning that Tanjé could create multiple identical images. This speaks to a shift in the art world, where the unique, handmade object was no longer the only goal. Consider the amount of work involved in producing this image. The fine lines and details require immense skill and patience. The social context here is the rise of a merchant class in the Dutch Republic, with an increased demand for art that could be widely distributed. Tanjé’s print bridges the gap between the hand-made and mass-produced, reflecting the changing landscape of labor, artistic production and the development of capitalism.