Et får med to lam 1857

This is a monochrome print of sheep and lambs, made by Johannes Wilhelm Zillen. The technique used here is etching, a printmaking process where lines are incised into a metal plate with acid, which then holds ink to be printed. The acid creates a sharp, precise line, allowing Zillen to delineate the sheep’s woolly fleece and the texture of the grassy ground with great detail. The process of etching is closely associated with skilled craftsmanship and careful labor. It requires technical expertise to control the acid and create a successful print. But the decision to depict sheep also speaks to a specific social context. Sheep farming was crucial to the rural economy, providing wool for the textile industry. In this unassuming image, Zillen bridges the gap between the world of skilled craft and the realities of rural labor, reminding us that art is always embedded in a web of social and material relations.