De maand oktober after 1635

Frederick Bloemaert’s “De maand oktober” was etched in metal, sometime in the 17th century. The resulting lines are precise, and the many cross-hatched areas create the illusion of shadow. The image depicts the grape harvest, an annual labor that has always involved many hands. This speaks to the way agricultural production often relies on cooperation. The figures are shown at work and at rest, and their clothing, tools, and the very grapes they collect, are all captured with the same fine lines. We see a small hut where presumably the harvested grapes will be processed into wine, a transformation of raw materials into a commodity. The act of etching, with its laborious attention to detail, mirrors the careful work of the harvest itself. It reminds us that all images, like all crops, are the result of labor.