Den lidende Kristus 1664

Leendert van der Cooghen created this print, “The Suffering Christ,” in 1664. The stark image is made through etching, where the artist would have drawn into a wax-covered metal plate with a sharp needle. Acid then bites into the exposed lines, creating grooves to hold ink. The magic of etching lies in the artist’s hand and the chemical action of the acid. It's an indirect process, relying on skill to control the depth and character of the lines. Notice how Cooghen uses closely packed, fine lines to create shadow and volume, a technique demanding immense patience. The suffering of Christ is thus made palpable through the labor-intensive process of printmaking itself. Each line is a mark of devotion, an act of bearing witness. This work reminds us that even in the realm of fine art, the hand of the artist and the materiality of the process are central to understanding the work’s deeper significance.