Boer met een kan in de hand 1636 - 1679

This etching, "Boer met een kan in de hand," or "Farmer with a Tankard," was made by Frans van den Wijngaerde sometime in the 17th century. Van den Wijngaerde has used etching, an intaglio printmaking technique in which a metal plate is covered with a waxy ground, and an image is scratched into it. The plate is then dipped in acid, which bites into the exposed metal, creating the lines that hold ink. Here, the artist has used this process to capture the man’s rugged features, and the rough textures of the pottery, with an incredible amount of detail. Look closely at the subject, who is not an idealized figure. Notice the tankard of beer, and the implication of the labor behind it. Van den Wijngaerde may be making a commentary on class, and on the contrast between the wealthy and the working classes. It reminds us that fine art practices, like etching, existed alongside other kinds of skilled production.