Arlequin en Piro praten over de streken van de kleine Arlequin 1720 - 1728

This print, titled "Arlequin en Piro praten over de streken van de kleine Arlequin," was made with etching, a printmaking technique that dates back to the Middle Ages. The fine lines of the image come from the way this process works. The artist coats a metal plate with a waxy, acid-resistant substance, then scratches the design into that coating. When the plate is dipped in acid, the exposed lines are eaten away, creating grooves. Ink is then applied to the plate, filling these grooves, and the image is transferred to paper under high pressure. What’s fascinating here is how this reproducible medium—etching—is used to depict a theatrical scene, a play featuring the character of Harlequin. Both etching and theater allowed for widespread consumption of imagery and narrative. The very act of making an etching mirrors the art of stagecraft: a careful process of layering and revealing.