Diana op haar strijdwagen 1651 - 1705

Christian Heckel made this print of Diana on her chariot at an unknown date, using the intaglio process of etching. This would have involved coating a metal plate with wax, drawing into it with a sharp needle, and then bathing it in acid. The acid bites into the metal only where the wax has been removed, creating an image that can then be inked and printed. The resulting lines are incredibly fine. The image is complex, with many figures rendered in a limited range of tones, so it’s very different to the bolder effects you get from other printmaking techniques like woodcut. In fact, etching was often used to emulate the effect of a drawing. Heckel would have needed to be a highly skilled draughtsman to create such a lively and detailed composition, with Diana astride her chariot in the sky, pulled by reindeer. Thinking about the making of this print reminds us that even seemingly “minor” works like this demanded a great deal of skill and preparation. It also prompts us to consider the crucial role of prints in circulating imagery widely in past centuries.