Bestorming van Aardenburg door de Fransen op 29 juni 1672 1672

Coenraet Decker created this print, *Bestorming van Aardenburg door de Fransen op 29 juni 1672*, using etching. The lines you see are not drawn with pen or brush but rather bitten into a metal plate by acid. Decker would have covered the plate with a waxy, acid-resistant substance, then scratched his design into it with a fine needle. Next, he submerged the plate in acid, which ate away at the exposed lines. The longer it soaked, the deeper and darker the lines would become. Once he was satisfied, he would have applied ink to the plate, wiping it carefully so that the ink remained only in the etched lines. Finally, he pressed the plate onto paper. The final result is defined by process. Note the fineness of the line, which gives such detail to the scene of battle. Consider the repetitive work of hatching and cross-hatching, done entirely by hand. It may seem far removed from the chaos of war. Yet in its own way, the technique captures the relentless character of conflict.