Hares Roasting the Hunter 1435 - 1503

Israhel van Meckenem made this engraving, "Hares Roasting the Hunter," around 1475-1503, using the meticulous process of metal engraving. To create this image, Meckenem would have used a tool called a burin to directly incise lines into a copper plate. The depth and spacing of these lines determine the tones and textures we see in the final print. This was a painstaking process requiring tremendous skill and control, each line contributing to the overall composition. The choice of engraving is significant. It allowed for the reproduction of images, making them more widely accessible. This print plays with the established social order: it depicts a world turned upside down, where the hunted become the hunters. The hares, typically prey, are shown dominating a human figure, humorously subverting the established social hierarchy. Considering the labor and skill involved in engraving, and its capacity for mass production, this print sits at the intersection of craft, artistry, and early capitalism. It reminds us that art is always enmeshed in the material conditions of its making and circulation.