Snerpende Hekelroede van een echten Vrank en Vryen Batavier, 1787 1787

This print, titled 'Snerpende Hekelroede van een echten Vrank en Vryen Batavier,' was made in 1787 by an anonymous artist. It is an etching, made by using acid to cut into a metal plate, in this case copper. The plate is then inked, and the ink is transferred to paper through a printing press. What's fascinating about this particular print is the density of detail achieved through the etching process. Look closely, and you'll see a Batavian warrior at the centre of the composition. He stands defiantly against monstrous figures, surrounded by symbolic objects. The labor involved in creating the matrix to print this image— the amount of time and effort involved in incising this design onto the copper plate with such precision and detail — speaks to the cultural importance of conveying complex political messages at the time. The choice of printing itself, a mode of production tied to wider social issues of labor, politics, and consumption, highlights the ways in which materials, making, and context are critical to understanding the full meaning of this artwork.