Amor in een landschap, op de rug gezien 1608 - 1650

This etching, Amor in een landschap, op de rug gezien, was made by Pierre Brebiette around the early 17th century. It is an image achieved by cutting lines into a metal plate, inking that plate, and running it through a press. The controlled violence of the process—the cutting of the metal, and the tremendous pressure exerted by the printing press—results in the delicate depiction of Cupid. Brebiette clearly understood the qualities of line and tone that could be achieved with this medium. The image’s success depends on the skilled labor of the printmaker. The image could then be reproduced and distributed widely. The fact that this image could reach a broad audience, due to the relative efficiency of printmaking, is critical to its meaning. Rather than thinking of this as simply a picture, consider it as a product of a skilled workshop, one cog in the great machine of early modern capitalism.