Doop van prins Willem V, 1748 1748

This print, titled "Baptism of Prince William V", was made in 1748 by an anonymous artist. Its fine lines were achieved by engraving, where an image is incised into a metal plate, then filled with ink and pressed onto paper. Consider the labor involved in this detailed work. The engraver would have been a skilled artisan, probably trained through a long apprenticeship. The materials are humble—metal, ink, and paper—but the value lies in the expertise applied to them. The scene shows a formal ceremony, and the print itself would have circulated among a relatively privileged class, keen to keep up with the latest courtly goings-on. Engraving was a reproductive technique, allowing images to be widely distributed. So while seemingly traditional, the medium was actually tied to burgeoning industries of information and consumption. By focusing on the print’s making and context, we see how it bridges the worlds of craft, commerce, and social ritual.