Minerva staat bij drie figuren rondom een wereldbol 1705

This print, showing Minerva with figures around a globe, was made by an anonymous artist using the technique of etching. An etcher covers a metal plate with a waxy ground, then scratches into this surface with a fine needle, exposing the metal below. The plate is then immersed in acid, which bites away at the exposed areas creating incised lines. The ink is then applied to the plate, which is pressed onto paper, creating an image. Because the quality of the print relies heavily on the even application of the wax and the timing in the acid bath, producing this print would have required a practiced hand. In the context of its time, printmaking allowed for relatively cheap reproduction of imagery, useful for circulating ideas about history, mythology, and politics. So, while this print may seem modest in scale, its production is tied to wider social issues of labor, politics, and consumption. The importance of materials, making, and context is vital in understanding its full meaning.