Allegorie met vrouwelijke personificaties van onder andere de waarheid en deugden en ondeugden 1681 - 1746

This allegorical print was made by François van Bleyswijck, likely in the early 18th century. It's done in the intaglio process—meaning the image is incised into a metal plate, which is then inked and pressed onto paper. The dense, delicate lines you see result from careful work with a burin or etching needle. Note how the artist uses this linear language to create a complex scene. We see Truth and virtues contrasted with vices, all surrounding a passage from a catechism. It’s a visual argument, painstakingly constructed. Prints like this were relatively inexpensive, but still required skilled labor and significant investment in materials and equipment. In its own way, this relatively modest object speaks to the power of the printed word in the early modern period, and the means by which ideas could be disseminated. The very act of making this print was also a form of social and cultural work.