Titlepage: God Creating Heaven and Earth, from The Creation of the World, a series of seven plates 1589

This print, "God Creating Heaven and Earth," was made by Jan Muller around 1589, using the intaglio process of engraving. Here, the artist would have used a tool called a burin to carve lines directly into a copper plate. Ink is then applied, and the surface wiped clean, leaving ink only in the incised lines. The act of printing mirrors the act of creation: both bringing forth something new from a matrix. Consider the labor involved – the skill to render such detail in metal, the physical effort to print it. The act of engraving is a slow, deliberate process – each line a testament to the engraver's skill. The image depicts a muscular God creating the world, turning the earth, like a craftsman shaping his creation. The print medium, with its capacity for reproduction, makes this divine act accessible, bringing it into earthly homes. The print participates in both the world of craft, and fine art.