Herdsman Sharpening a Scythe, with Cattle c. 19th century

This delicate etching, "Herdsman Sharpening a Scythe, with Cattle," was made by Johann Christian Klengel, likely in the late 18th or early 19th century. It's made with etching, a printmaking process where a metal plate, usually copper or zinc, is coated with a waxy, acid-resistant material. The artist then scratches an image into this coating, exposes the plate to acid, which bites into the metal where the wax has been removed, and finally inks and prints the plate. This process is industrial in essence, capable of making multiples. Klengel has used this technique to depict an agrarian scene, the simple tools and labor central to it rendered with precision. You can almost feel the grit of the whetstone against the blade, a process essential for reaping a harvest. By employing etching, a method of reproduction, Klengel subtly comments on the cycle of labor, production, and consumption. The image is not about high art, but about the tools, landscape, and lives of those engaged in manual work. Ultimately, this print invites us to consider the artistry inherent in everyday labor, and how such work has been represented, reproduced, and perhaps romanticized through art.