Muziek 1693

This is Muziek, or Music, made by Pieter Sluyter around the turn of the 18th century, using the technique of etching. The print is made by coating a metal plate with a waxy, acid-resistant substance, and then using a needle to scratch an image into the coating. After this, the plate is submerged in acid, which bites away the exposed metal. The plate can then be inked and printed. Think of it as a kind of controlled corrosion. The quality of the etched line depends on the artist’s skill. You can see here how Sluyter has used hatching and cross-hatching to achieve areas of light and shade, giving the composition depth and drama. Beyond that, the success of a print like this depends on a whole system of labor. From the production of paper to the operation of the printing press, the image is the result of many hands. Appreciating these often invisible contributions gives us a fuller sense of the image’s meaning.