Fotoreproductie van een gravure van Het sluiten van de vrede tussen Maria de'Medici en haar zoon Lodewijk XIII door Jean-Marc Nattier, naar het schilderij door Peter Paul Rubens before 1864

This is a photo reproduction of an engraving, which Dechamps et Cie. made after a painting by Peter Paul Rubens. The original painting captured the moment of peace between Maria de' Medici and her son Louis XIII. Engraving is an intaglio printmaking technique, where the image is incised into a plate using a tool called a burin. This requires considerable skill to control the depth and thickness of the lines, which define the light and shadow. Ink is then applied to the plate and wiped off the surface, remaining only in the incised lines, before being transferred to paper under high pressure. The result is a print with remarkable detail and fine lines. In its time, prints like this played a crucial role in disseminating imagery to a broad audience, circulating ideas, and fostering visual culture at a time before photography. Consider the labor involved in creating such an image, both by the original painter and the engraver interpreting their work. It prompts us to question the traditional hierarchy between the fine arts and the skilled crafts.