Vers bij de prent met Dood vechtend tegen de mensheid, ca. 1707-1708 1707 - 1708

This print was made around 1707-1708 by Abraham Allard, using etching and engraving techniques. Look closely and you’ll notice the sharp lines and intricate details that these processes allow. The image shows Death in conflict with mankind. What’s interesting is how Allard used the print medium itself to convey this theme of mortality. Printmaking is, after all, a process of repeated impressions, a kind of mechanized reproduction. In Allard’s time, this was an increasingly common way of disseminating images and ideas. Here, he’s using that very technology to reflect on the ephemerality of human existence in the face of larger forces like disease, politics, and even love. The material and the making speak directly to the print's social context, creating a powerful commentary on life, death, and the emerging modern world. This print reminds us that art is always embedded in its historical moment.