H. Ursula met haar gezellinnen in de hemel 1841

Charles Onghena made this print, "H. Ursula met haar gezellinnen in de hemel," or St. Ursula with her companions in Heaven, in the nineteenth century. It’s an engraving, meaning the artist used a tool called a burin to incise lines into a metal plate, which then held ink and could be printed onto paper. Look closely, and you’ll see that the composition consists entirely of lines, all carefully placed to create areas of light and shadow. Consider the labor involved. Each line represents a decision, and the image would have required countless hours of focused, meticulous work. The result is an ethereal depiction of Ursula, a medieval saint, surrounded by her companions. Engraving has a long history, both as a reproductive medium and a fine art in its own right. Onghena’s print reflects a tension between these two roles. It could be seen as a devotional image, or simply as a demonstration of skill. Either way, it invites us to consider the relationship between art, craft, and commerce in the industrial age.