Ceres weigert hulp aan Psyche c. 1530 - 1560

This print, "Ceres weigert hulp aan Psyche," was created by the Meester van de Dobbelsteen using etching, a method that marries technique and artistry. With etching, the artist covers a metal plate with a waxy, acid-resistant layer. Using a needle, they draw into this layer, exposing the metal beneath. When the plate is submerged in acid, the exposed lines are eaten away, creating grooves. These grooves then hold ink, which is transferred to paper under pressure, resulting in the final print. The fineness of the lines and the tonal variations are all down to the artist’s control of the acid bath. Prints like these existed within a burgeoning market for accessible art, making stories and images available to a wide audience. The labor is both physical and intellectual, demanding skill, precision, and artistic vision. By understanding the labor and material that went into its making, we move past merely seeing an image, and instead appreciate the convergence of craft, design, and materiality.