Gezicht op de kapel van paleis Versailles

This print of the Chapel of the Palace of Versailles was made by Georg Balthasar Probst in the late 18th century, using etching and hand-colouring. The print medium was a great way to share views of Europe’s great buildings with a wider public. The image is all about line. The etched lines define the architecture of the buildings, the formal gardens and the figures in the foreground. The hand-colouring adds depth, with the red roofs, blue skies, and pastel clothes contrasting with the stark black lines. But let's not forget about the labour involved in its production. The process of etching and printing required skill, and the hand-colouring even more so. In this way, the print is a product of both artistic skill and the industrial processes of 18th-century Europe. We are invited to consider the print not only as an image, but as an object imbued with social and cultural significance.