Frederik Hendrik legt de eed af als stadhouder en neemt zitting in de Staten van Holland, 1625 1651 - 1652

This print shows Frederik Hendrik taking his oath as Stadholder of Holland, made in 1625 by an anonymous artist using engraving. Notice the linear quality, the fineness of the lines, and the overall sense of detail. All these features come from the character of the engraved line. The printmaker would have used a tool called a burin to incise lines directly into a copper plate. Ink is then applied to the plate, and then wiped from the surface, remaining only in the engraved lines. Then, paper is applied, and run through a press. The resulting image is, of course, a mirror image of the original design. The relatively small scale of this print speaks to its function as a widely distributed document, a kind of political communication. Consider the amount of labor involved in making the original engraving, and then multiplied across the edition. It reminds us that even seemingly “minor” art forms like prints have always played a major role in shaping public opinion and consolidating power.