Maria met kind in de wolken 1668 - 1671

Jan de Bisschop made this print of Mary and child in the clouds in the mid-17th century. It’s an etching, a printmaking technique that relies on acid to bite lines into a metal plate. Look closely, and you can see how the material influences the image. The crisp, precise lines create a sense of volume and depth, particularly in the folds of Mary’s robes and the plumpness of the child's figure. The density of the lines creates shadow, while the untouched paper shows brilliant light. De Bisschop was part of a generation of Dutch artists who embraced printmaking as a way to disseminate images widely. Prints were relatively inexpensive to produce, and this one would have made devotional imagery accessible to a broad audience. The method of production reflects both artistic skill and also the expanding marketplace for art in the Dutch Golden Age. Appreciating this history adds another layer to our experience of the image.