Boerenfamilie in een bos

Nicolaes de Bruyn created this print, *Boerenfamilie in een bos*, which translates to *Peasant Family in a Forest*, sometime before his death in 1656. Its monochrome palette, ranging from light grays to almost black, comes from its manufacture: the artwork is an engraving. The artist would have used a tool called a burin to cut lines into a copper plate. The plate would then be inked, and the surface wiped clean, leaving ink only in the incised lines. Finally, the plate would be pressed onto a sheet of paper, transferring the image. Engraving has a long history, evolving out of the goldsmith’s art. The process demands careful planning, not just because every line counts, but also because it produces a mirror image of the original design. De Bruyn has used this technique to capture the scene with incredible detail. Consider the labor involved in this kind of image-making. The highly skilled engraver can translate any subject into this exacting medium, even evoking qualities like the texture of tree bark, the weight of fabric, and the contrast of light and shadow.