Wisselvalligheid van het lot 1574

Philips Galle made this engraving, Wisselvalligheid van het lot, which translates to 'The mutability of fate,' around the late 16th century. It's an image made entirely from lines incised into a copper plate. This wasn't exactly mass production, but printmaking allowed for much wider circulation of images than painting. The crisp lines give the allegory an immense feeling of detail, and the hatching creates subtle gradations of tone. The figure of Fortune herself is poised precariously on a shell, holding the strings that control human destiny. The city in the background is at her mercy. Printmaking in this period was a skilled trade, positioned between art and industry. Galle was part of a network of artists and artisans who commercialized design ideas. Looking closely at this print reminds us that even seemingly unique artworks are usually the product of collective effort, and the demands of the market.