Jakob zegent Efraïm en Manasse 1797

Reinier Vinkeles made this print, Jakob zegent Efraïm en Manasse, using engraving, a painstaking process of cutting lines into a metal plate. The image comes to life through these carefully incised marks. Engraving demands rigorous technical skill; the artist would have used specialized tools to manually carve the design into the copperplate. Each line, dot, and area of shading results from the engraver's precise handling, determining the distribution of ink and creating tonal variation. The fine lines allow for detailed depictions of the figures and their surroundings, giving a sense of depth. Vinkeles may have been part of a larger workshop, where skilled craftsmen reproduced images for books, documents, and dissemination to a broader public. This print demonstrates how the hand-made aesthetic carries social and cultural significance. It reminds us that ‘fine art’ has always relied on craft and skilled labor to bring images into being.