The Departure of Thibault, King of Navarre 

Gustave Doré made this engraving of "The Departure of Thibault, King of Navarre" in the 19th century using a painstaking process. Ink is applied to a block of wood, then the artist uses chisels and gouges to carve away the negative space. The remaining raised lines receive ink, and the image is transferred to paper under immense pressure. Look closely and you’ll notice how the quality of the line varies: thin and delicate in the foliage, thick and bold in the foreground figures. Consider the sheer labor involved in creating this intricate scene, filled with knights, musicians, and courtiers. Doré was a prolific artist, producing countless illustrations for books and periodicals. This print, like others of its kind, was made with mass production in mind, to be circulated widely and cheaply. The contrast between the aristocratic subject matter, Thibault IV, and the democratic accessibility of the printed image highlights the changing social landscape of 19th-century Europe. It reminds us that even seemingly traditional art forms are deeply intertwined with the modes of production and consumption that shape our world.