Ongeluk tijdens een toneelstuk en Herr von *** met zijn zweep 1779

Daniel Nikolaus Chodowiecki made this etching, titled 'Ongeluk tijdens een toneelstuk en Herr von *** met zijn zweep', using metal plates and acid. The technique of etching involves covering a metal plate with a waxy, acid-resistant layer, then scratching an image into that layer. When acid is applied, it bites into the exposed metal, leaving behind incised lines. Ink is then applied to the plate and wiped off the surface, remaining only in the etched lines, before the image is transferred to paper through a printing press. In Chodowiecki's time, etchings were a key method of mass communication. They were relatively inexpensive to produce and reproduce, making images like these accessible to a broad public. The very nature of etching, with its reliance on industrial materials and processes, democratized image-making and challenged the traditional hierarchies of art. This print offers a fascinating glimpse into the social dynamics of 18th-century life.