Verzamelen van het manna 1645 - 1740

This is a woodcut made by Christoffel van Sichem II, likely dating to the early 17th century, showing the Israelites gathering manna in the desert. The image is achieved through a relief printing process. Sichem would have painstakingly carved away the areas of a wood block that he didn't want to print, leaving the lines of the composition standing in relief. The block would then be inked and pressed onto paper, transferring the image. Look closely and you can see the characteristic crisp lines and graphic contrast typical of woodcuts. This technique, while relatively simple, demanded immense skill and patience. The act of carving endows the scene with a powerful sense of texture. The repetitive, almost mechanical action mirrors the labor of the Israelites gathering their daily bread. In its time, this print would have been relatively accessible, part of a burgeoning culture of reproduced images that democratized visual storytelling. Sichem’s choice of woodcut, a craft-based medium, underscores the idea of art as a product of both skill and labor, blurring the lines between fine art and the everyday.