Titelpagina van het pamflet van Georgius Buchananus: T'samensprekinghe, Vant recht der Coninghen, ofte Overheyt over haere Onderdanen, ende der Onderdanen plicht teghens haer, deur onderlinghe verbindinghe, Amsterdam 1610 1598 - 1610

This is the title page of a pamphlet, printed in Amsterdam in 1610. It was made anonymously, using the centuries-old technology of the printing press. The process begins with a design, carefully incised into a metal plate, which is then inked. Paper is laid on top, and pressure applied, transferring the image. Each title page would have required individual attention, making it a manual, skilled process. The relative uniformity of the printed lines speaks to the expertise involved. Consider the division of labor required: the making of paper, the mixing of ink, the carving of the metal plate, not to mention the intellectual labor of writing the text itself. The imagery here is striking: figures holding swords and olive branches, standing triumphantly over prostrate bodies. These figures convey the pamphlet's message about the rights of subjects against tyrannical rulers. The print medium allowed for the broad dissemination of such political ideas. This simple piece of paper encapsulates a whole world of making, commerce, and political struggle. It challenges any simplistic distinction between art and craft.