Helm bekroond met sfinx 1651

René Lochon made this print of a helmet topped with a sphinx in the 17th century. It’s made using the intaglio process, where lines are incised into a metal plate, and then filled with ink. When printed, these lines create the image. The subject is a display of arms. Note the exquisite detail, from the acanthus leaves on the capital to the fantastical creatures worked into the helmet. It gives you some sense of how skilled the original maker of these objects would have to be. But the print is no mere record. Lochon has also added shadows and tonal variation in the hatching, transforming a functional display into a small world of chiaroscuro. There's a tension at play here, between the fine arts and the decorative arts. Lochon was not only documenting a display of armour, but also transforming it into an aesthetic experience. This subtle shift challenges our conventional notions of art and craft, inviting us to consider the value of design and the power of skilled making.