Onderste gedeelte van een retabel met de Aanbidding van de drie koningen 1560 - 1598

Editor: Here we have "Onderste gedeelte van een retabel met de Aanbidding van de drie koningen" - that's "Lower Part of an Altarpiece with the Adoration of the Magi" created between 1560 and 1598 by Wendel Dietterlin, in engraving. The density of the line work is striking. It almost feels like it's meant to overwhelm the viewer. What can you tell us about this image? Curator: Consider the function, first. This is a print, meant for circulation, a *mass produced* object designed to mimic the ornate carving of an altarpiece. The intaglio and engraving process allowed for multiple reproductions, a dissemination of wealth previously held only by the aristocracy and church. It brings the holy subject into private homes and, through the relatively inexpensive process, into lower class homes, democratizing the image. Editor: So, the medium itself, the print, changed who could own such an elaborate scene? Curator: Precisely. Note the architectural framework Dietterlin has created – almost a stage – focusing attention not only on the religious subject but the act of display. Consider, also, the labor involved. Engraving demanded skilled artisans. It becomes a fascinating example of skilled labor replicating imagery usually confined to a different echelon of society, a fascinating collision of class, skill, and production. Editor: That reframes my whole perspective on it. I was initially caught up in the religious aspect, but now I'm seeing how the very process of its creation tells a powerful story about artistic labor and accessibility. Curator: Absolutely. It's a shift from appreciating only the religious context to understanding art production as a reflection, or even driver, of broader social and economic shifts. Editor: Thanks, that's a totally new angle on prints I will carry with me.