Een herder met een koe, twee geiten en een schaap 1655 - 1667

This etching, 'A Herder met een Koe, Twee Geiten en een Schaap' (A Shepherd with a Cow, Two Goats and a Sheep) was made by Romeyn de Hooghe. The lines you see are the result of a chemical process, acid biting into a metal plate where it has been exposed by the artist. De Hooghe would have built up the image bit by bit, controlling the depth of line by varying the time of exposure. The result is a contrast between stark black and white, ideal for reproduction in books and pamphlets. Interestingly, the etching medium itself chimes with the image: shepherding was already on its way out as a traditional way of life in the Netherlands by this time, with market agriculture becoming the norm. Etching too was about to be eclipsed by other printmaking technologies. Both are testaments to different types of labor, one rural and the other urban, and both were being reshaped by economics. The rough, folksy aesthetic of the print belies the sophistication of its making. De Hooghe was a master of his craft, who used his skills to comment on the changing world around him.