Angel appearing to Peter in Prison 1680 - 1743

Editor: Here we have Robert van Audenaerde’s engraving, "Angel appearing to Peter in Prison," created sometime between 1680 and 1743. The linear quality creates a dramatic scene, and I am really intrigued by the cross-hatching! What do you see in this print? Curator: For me, the engraving highlights the social and material conditions of art production during the Baroque era. We must consider Audenaerde's role as a reproductive engraver. His labor served to disseminate imagery – to turn paintings into widely available prints. What did it mean to copy, translate, and circulate another artist's design through the medium of print? Editor: So, it's about the craft involved? Not just about copying? Curator: Precisely! Consider the material transformation inherent in engraving. Audenaerde's skill resided in meticulously transferring painted forms into linear networks on a copper plate. Think about the manual labor and tools involved—the burin scraping across the metal, the precise application of ink, the pressure of the printing press. It’s a different type of artistic skill being valued here. Editor: That’s so interesting, framing it that way. I often think about the "original" painting and the artist, and the engraving just becomes a reproduction of the "original". I've never really thought of the engraver's labour in such detail! Curator: Exactly. And how were these prints consumed? Who had access to them? Did they replace paintings in some domestic settings, offering access to religious narratives for a wider audience? Or serve as models in artists' studios? Thinking about materiality opens the door to asking broader questions about the consumption of images. Editor: It makes me wonder how much Audenaerde added to it and how the materials available to him may have limited the choices he could make. This print definitely gives me more to think about. Thanks for the insight! Curator: My pleasure. Looking at art through the lens of materials always brings us closer to understanding its creation, circulation and reception.