Slusen 1625 - 1674

Jan Ruyscher made this print, titled "Slusen," sometime in the mid-17th century, using etching, a printmaking technique. To create this image, Ruyscher would have coated a metal plate with wax, then scratched his composition into the wax, exposing the metal underneath. The plate was then submerged in acid, which bit into the exposed lines, incising the image. Finally, ink was applied, and the plate pressed onto paper. Look closely at the thatched roofs and the windmills in the distance; the image is formed through the accumulation of very fine marks. The etched lines create a sense of depth and texture, capturing the rural landscape, probably close to Ruyscher's home in Haarlem. Etching was, by this time, an established means of producing images on paper, connecting the tradition of meticulous drawing with the mechanical reproduction essential to a growing, urban art market. As you consider this print, remember that its meaning lies not only in the image it portrays but also in the labor and ingenuity required to bring it into being.