Strijd met de wederdopers op de Dam te Amsterdam, 1535 1747 - 1759

Simon Fokke made this print, Strijd met de wederdopers op de Dam te Amsterdam, 1535, using etching and engraving techniques sometime in the 1700s. The printmaking process is fascinating, it starts with a metal plate, usually copper. The artist then covers the plate with a waxy, acid-resistant substance, and draws their design into this layer, exposing the metal. When the plate is dipped in acid, the exposed lines are eaten away, creating grooves. The deeper the lines, the more ink they hold. Fokke would have then applied ink to the plate, wiping the surface clean so that ink only remained in the etched lines. Finally, damp paper is pressed against the plate, transferring the ink and creating the print. Note the linear quality, and precision of the image, achieved through this meticulous method. Printmaking allowed for the wide distribution of images, ideas, and narratives, playing a crucial role in shaping public opinion and historical memory, and in this case, memorializing a violent historical moment.