Hest, dækket af skaberak, profil mod venstre 1582

Melchior Lorck created this print of a horse with woodcut around 1582. Woodcut is a relief printing process, where an image is carved into a block of wood, and then the remaining surface is inked and printed. Look closely, and you’ll see that Lorck’s image is defined by lines: parallel, cross-hatched, and carefully describing the curves of the horse’s body, the drape of its elaborate covering, and even the distant landscape with its windmill. The act of cutting these lines required considerable skill, and also a deep understanding of how the network of marks would translate into light and shadow. The choice of wood as a material is also significant. Woodcuts were relatively inexpensive to produce compared to engravings on metal, making them a popular medium for disseminating images widely. So, while this print is now a precious object displayed in a museum, it once served as a vehicle for information, or perhaps even political commentary. It’s a reminder that even the most beautiful artworks are also products of their time, embedded in specific social and economic conditions.