Man stapt in een hemelbed bij een dame 1802 - 1809

Daniël Veelwaard made this etching, titled "Man stapt in een hemelbed bij een dame," sometime in the late 18th or early 19th century. It's a relatively small work, made with a process that is all about precision and control. Etching involves coating a metal plate with a waxy, acid-resistant substance, and then drawing an image into that coating with a sharp needle. The plate is then bathed in acid, which bites into the exposed metal, creating the lines that will hold ink. The image is then printed onto paper. In Veelwaard's time, etching was a widely used technique for producing images for books and prints. The graphic quality of the etched line lends itself well to satire, which is certainly on display here. It also democratized art by making images reproducible and affordable. This etching gives us a glimpse into the cultural landscape of the time, offering a critical and humorous perspective on social mores. It reminds us that even seemingly simple images are the product of skilled labor and cultural context.