Rust op de vlucht naar Egypte 1637 - 1691

Giovanni Cesare Testa made this 17th-century print of “Rest on the Flight into Egypt” through the repeatable, and deeply social, medium of etching. The etched line, with its characteristic burr, is created by drawing through a waxy ground laid on a copper plate, which is then exposed to acid. Inked, and pressed against paper, an image emerges. The acid is the agent of creation, biting into the metal to transfer the artist's vision. Note how the precise, yet freehand quality, creates a delicate tracery. Etching was a key technology in the early modern period. Not just for artistic expression, but for reproducing images across Europe, fueling both religious devotion and scientific advancement. The very act of printmaking is embedded with the religious and secular anxieties of the time, and here, Testa uses the process to connect us to both the divine and the earthly. By understanding its making, we deepen our appreciation of the image itself.