Interieur met een vrouw zittend aan een tafel met daarop een theeservies 1875 - 1916

This intimate scene of a woman at her tea table was etched by Georges Lemmen, a Belgian artist, using a metal plate and acid. Look closely and you’ll notice the delicate network of lines which create an ethereal, dream-like quality. This effect stems directly from the etching process. Lemmen would have coated a metal plate with wax, then drawn into it with a sharp needle. When dipped in acid, the exposed lines would bite into the metal. The plate is then inked and printed, transferring the image to paper. The texture of the etching creates a sense of quiet contemplation, enhanced by the composition, and muted tones. It’s a scene of bourgeois leisure, made possible by a whole economy of production: of tea, porcelain, furniture, and of course, the artist’s labor. Considering the materials and processes used to create this print gives us a deeper understanding of its meaning. It challenges us to look beyond the surface and consider the social context in which art is made and consumed.