Cœnotaphiorum (6) 1563

This print, made by Hans Vredeman de Vries in the 16th century, is composed of lines etched into a metal plate, likely copper, then inked and pressed onto paper. Consider the labor involved: quarrying stone, carving, transporting, and assembling a monument like the one depicted. It is a celebration of power and wealth, commemorating figures like Charles V, Phillip II, Ferdinand, and Maximilian. These were rulers whose authority depended on resources extracted and transported by the labor of many, the majority of whom would never see such grandeur in their own lives. The print itself, while far more humble in scale than the imagined monument, shares something of the same quality. Its crisp lines and precise details suggest a mastery of craft, achieved through years of training. Paying attention to the labor of art helps us to be aware of the social and economic forces at play, both in the image and in its making.