Plate 3: head of a woman with braided hair, turned in profile to the right, from 'Various heads and figures' (Diverses têtes et figures) 1650

Stefano della Bella made this print of a woman's head in the mid-seventeenth century, using etching, a printmaking technique. The original drawing would have been made on a metal plate, likely copper, using a sharp needle to draw through a layer of wax, and then the plate would have been bathed in acid. The lines bitten by the acid would then hold ink, allowing the image to be printed. Notice the relatively spare use of line. Della Bella coaxes a striking image from a minimum of marks, giving it a refreshing modernity. Of course, this apparent ease is deceptive. It takes years of practice to control the etched line to this degree. Importantly, prints like these were commercial items, sold to collectors or bound into books. They were thus a key component of the burgeoning visual culture of early modern Europe, allowing images to circulate widely. So, in appreciating this small print, we're also encountering a little piece of the history of media itself.