Afkondiging van de Vrede van Utrecht, 1713 1713

This print, made by Pieter Schenk in 1713, commemorates the announcement of the Treaty of Utrecht. Schenk was a master of etching, a printmaking technique that uses acid to create lines in a metal plate. This plate, likely copper, would have been painstakingly covered with a waxy ground, through which the image was then scratched. The plate would then be submerged in acid, which bites into the exposed metal, creating grooves that hold ink. Finally, the plate is wiped clean, placed on a press, and the image is transferred to paper. Note the dense crowd in the foreground, achieved through a network of fine, closely spaced lines. Schenk also uses hatching and cross-hatching to create tonal variations, indicating depth and shadow. The Treaty of Utrecht was of course a major political event, and this print was made to be widely distributed. So, the relative ease of etching allowed for the mass production and dissemination of images, making it an ideal medium for news and propaganda. This print, like so many others, is a reminder that even seemingly simple materials can be powerful tools for shaping public opinion.