Portaal gedecoreerd met mascarons en guirlandes en bovenop twee vrouwen met cartouches 1593 - 1595

Wendel Dietterlin created this print of a portal decorated with mascarons and garlands sometime before his death in 1599. He used the intaglio printmaking process of etching. The design was bitten into a metal plate using acid, allowing for incredibly fine detail, as we can see in the dense ornamentation of the portal's surface. Look closely, and you'll notice the textures that Dietterlin has achieved. He has rendered the heavy, sculpted stone of the architecture to give it volume, weight, and depth. The contrast of light and shadow enhances the three-dimensionality of the design, inviting us to imagine this architectural structure in real space. In Dietterlin’s time, prints like this served as source material for builders. But don't assume that this was a purely functional exercise. The artist was not simply documenting architecture, but proposing new possibilities for it. Consider the implications of the labor required to execute such intricate carving and stonework. Dietterlin has produced not only an image, but also a social vision. He challenges us to consider how craftsmanship and architectural design intersect with issues of labor, class, and aesthetic expression.