Trofee met konijnen en vogels Possibly 1757

Paul Angier made this print, "Trofee met konijnen en vogels," sometime in the late 18th century. It's a detailed image made through etching, a printmaking technique where lines are incised into a metal plate with acid, then inked and pressed onto paper. The effect is quite different from drawing, creating a tactile and graphic language. The etched line allows for a high level of detail which you can see in the rendering of the animals' fur and feathers. Consider how this image was likely made for a collector, not a hunter. It's a luxury product, an aestheticization of the hunt, and an index of human skill. It takes nature, brings it to heel, and reproduces it for further consumption. It is a potent reminder that even the most seemingly straightforward image carries within it an entire world of meaning.