Titelvignet. Amfitrite på havet 1753

This print, *Titelvignet. Amfitrite på havet*, was made in Copenhagen in 1755 by Jonas Haas. It’s an engraving, meaning that the image was incised into a metal plate, which was then inked and printed. Engraving is a skilled, labor-intensive process. The density of lines determines the areas of light and dark, and the creation of tone. Look closely and you’ll see that Haas varied the marks to create the illusion of depth, shadow, and even the movement of water. He would have used specialized tools to achieve this level of detail. Prints like this one circulated widely in the 18th century, bringing images to a broad audience. The print medium itself can be seen as a kind of proto-industrialization, making visual culture more accessible than ever before. Appreciating the skill involved, and the social context of its creation, allows us to move beyond traditional art historical categories.