Grafmonument c. 1651

This print, Grafmonument, was etched by Jean Lepautre in the 17th century. Its apparent simplicity belies an intricate process: the artist would have covered a metal plate with a waxy, acid-resistant ground, then drawn through it with a sharp needle, exposing the metal. The plate was then immersed in acid, which bit into the drawn lines, creating grooves that would hold ink. Lepautre's skill is evident in the precise, consistent lines which render the textures and forms of this elaborate architectural structure. Note the wreaths, urns and figurative elements, all conjured through a matrix of carefully placed marks. The architecture is ornamented with death masks, a skull, and personifications of fame and victory, intended to evoke thoughts of mortality and remembrance. Prints like these were essential to the circulation of design ideas in the early modern period, when architects, sculptors and other makers relied upon them as a shared visual language. So, while it is a work on paper, its purpose was to inspire others to work in three dimensions.