Engel met zwaard met het oor van Malchus 1608 - 1658

This engraving, made by Abraham Hogenberg, depicts an angel with a sword and the ear of Malchus. It's a great example of the printmaking process in the 16th and 17th centuries. The key material here is the metal plate, likely copper, onto which Hogenberg meticulously etched his design. This subtractive process required immense skill and control. Think of the labor involved, the hours spent carefully incising lines to create the image. The varying depths of these lines would determine how much ink the plate held, and thus the tonality of the final print. Consider the social context: prints like these were relatively affordable, and widely distributed, making art accessible to a broader audience than paintings or sculptures. They served as a means of disseminating information, religious narratives, and political commentary. Hogenberg's choice of subject matter – a biblical scene involving violence and divine intervention – speaks to the turbulent times in which he lived. Ultimately, the engraving reminds us that art is not just about aesthetics, but also about the labor, materials, and social forces that shape its creation and reception.