Plattegrond van Nijmegen, ca. 1702 1702 - 1703

This is an anonymous print, made around 1702, depicting the Dutch city of Nijmegen. It was created using engraving, a process that involves meticulously cutting lines into a metal plate, inking it, and then pressing it onto paper. Notice how the engraver has used this linear technique to capture the city’s fortifications. These were cutting-edge at the time, designed by the famous military engineer Menno van Coehoorn. The graphic quality of the print emphasizes the geometric forms of these defensive structures, highlighting their sharp angles and calculated arrangement. Engraving, like the architecture it depicts, is a very deliberate and labor-intensive process. Each line represents not only a physical barrier, but also the skill and effort required to produce both the city’s defenses and the image itself. This print, therefore, speaks to the intertwined histories of military engineering, craft production, and the representation of power.