Drie figuurtjes 1635

This etching of three figures was made by Israel Henriet, sometime in the first half of the 17th century. The printmaking process is really key here. It is an intaglio process. A metal plate, likely copper, would have been prepared with a waxy ground, and the design then scratched through with a needle. The plate was then immersed in acid, which bit into the exposed lines. The longer the plate was left in the acid, the deeper the lines became. The plate was then inked, the surface wiped clean, and the print taken. In Henriet’s time, printmaking was essential to disseminating images widely, and in a relatively inexpensive way. Printmakers often made their living by reproducing the designs of others. But in this case, the inscription indicates that Henriet himself designed and printed the image, giving him full creative control. This speaks to the rising status of the artist as more than just a technician.