Zittende moeder met kind 1777 - 1779

Pieter de Mare created this print of a seated mother and child using etching, sometime in the late 18th century. The image appears as a delicate tracery of lines. This effect results from the artist’s chosen technique, which is rooted in the controlled corrosion of metal. De Mare would have coated a copper plate with wax, drawn his composition through it with a fine needle, and then submerged the plate in acid. The longer the acid bath, the deeper the lines. This kind of image-making was very much of its time, part of a burgeoning print culture that served the Enlightenment’s thirst for knowledge and images. The relative ease of the etching process, compared to say engraving, made it a favored method for artists wanting to circulate their ideas, and also tap into a growing market for affordable images. When we consider the work in this light, the image speaks not only of intimacy, but also of production, labor, and access.