Herbergier bedient zijn klanten 1658 - 1677

Wallerant Vaillant made this mezzotint, "Herbergier bedient zijn klanten," which translates to "Innkeeper serving his customers," sometime in the 17th century. The mezzotint process involves roughening a copper plate with a tool called a rocker, and then smoothing areas to create lighter tones, achieving rich variations in shade. Here, Vaillant uses this to great effect, rendering the scene’s dimly lit interior and the figures’ coarse garments with subtle gradations. The innkeeper is shown attending to his patrons with a pitcher, the composition focusing on the everyday labor and social interactions of the working class. Mezzotint was prized for its ability to create tonal depth, appealing to printmakers who sought to emulate the effects of painting. But it also required considerable skill, and a fair amount of repetitive manual labor, to prepare the plate. Vaillant’s mastery of this technique elevates what might otherwise be a simple genre scene into a study of light, shadow, and the textures of daily life, blurring the lines between fine art and the craft of printmaking.