Gezicht op het kasteel van Saint-Germain-en-Laye c. 1657

This print of the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye was made by Israel Silvestre, sometime in the 17th century. It’s an etching, a printmaking process that relies on the corrosive power of acid. Silvestre would have coated a copper plate with a waxy ground, then scratched his design into the surface, exposing the metal. Immersing the plate in acid would bite away the lines, leaving an image in intaglio – that is, incised into the plate. Finally, he would have inked the plate and run it through a press, transferring the image to paper. This was a highly efficient way to produce images, essential to circulating information at a time before photography. The very qualities of the lines, so clear and precise, speak to the print's purpose as a kind of visual reportage. Yet, the artistry lies in Silvestre’s skillful control of the etching process, allowing him to capture the grandeur of the chateau and the liveliness of the figures in the foreground.