Young Man Hunting a Wild Boar 1547

Léon Davent made this print, Young Man Hunting a Wild Boar, in 1547 using the technique of etching. Etching involves coating a metal plate with a waxy ground, scratching an image into it, then submerging the plate in acid. The acid bites into the exposed lines, leaving an image that can then be inked and printed. The success of an etching depends on the varying pressure and angle of the tool on the wax ground. Here, the artist skillfully captured an abundance of detail within the complex composition. Look closely, and you’ll see how he has used hatching and cross-hatching to build up tone and create a sense of depth. Davent likely based this print on a design by another artist, perhaps Giulio Romano. Printmaking at this time involved a complex division of labor, where the designer and the maker of the matrix were often two different people. This speaks to the fascinating social context of printmaking as a collaborative enterprise. Appreciating the skill and effort involved allows us to challenge traditional hierarchies between design and execution, or art and craft.