Wandelende figuren langs bomenrijen 1690

This print, "Wandelende figuren langs bomenrijen," was made anonymously, employing the technique of etching. Think of etching as a kind of controlled drawing, using acid to bite lines into a metal plate. The etcher coats the plate with a waxy, acid-resistant substance, then scratches away at this ground to expose the metal underneath. Then, they submerge the plate in acid. The longer the plate sits in the acid, the deeper the lines. This painstaking process allowed the artist to render fine details, seen in the intricate foliage of the trees and the delicate shading that models the figures. But the real labor, of course, was not the artist's alone. Consider the material: where did the metal come from? Who mined it, refined it, and made it available for this precise work? By considering the wider context of the work's making, we can go beyond simply admiring its aesthetic qualities. We can recognize the broader network of skilled practices and social relations that give it its full meaning.