Triton en Nereïde 1523

This tiny print of Triton and a Nereid was made by Sebald Beham in 1523, using a technique called engraving. The image is carved into a copper plate with a tool called a burin, and then printed. The material itself, copper, is key here. Its smooth, receptive surface allows for incredibly fine detail. Look closely, and you'll see the dense cross-hatching, which creates a sense of volume and shading. Beham was a master of this kind of mark-making. The intensity of labor, the sheer amount of work needed to create these marks, is part of the picture’s meaning. This wasn't just technical virtuosity; printmaking was a crucial means of distributing images in the 16th century, a kind of early mass media. Beham's choice of subject matter – classical mythology – speaks to the cultural aspirations of the time. It’s a fascinating intersection of craftsmanship, commerce, and cultural ambition. Hopefully, it will make you rethink how we define art.