Oriental Family 1496

Albrecht Durer made this print, Oriental Family, using a technique called engraving. He would have used a tool called a burin to manually cut lines into a copper plate, a physically demanding process requiring great skill. The stark contrast between black and white is typical of engravings, with the density of lines creating tone and shadow. Here, Durer uses these lines to meticulously describe the family's clothing, turbans, and even the texture of their skin. This is not an objective record, of course, but Durer's European interpretation of “Oriental” dress. Prints like these were luxury multiples, a way for Durer to disseminate his artistic vision widely. They fueled a growing art market and a new class of collectors. The very act of making and selling these engravings was part of a shift towards a more modern, capitalist system. It moved art away from unique commissions, towards a trade in repeatable images, each one a testament to Durer's mastery and the burin's mark.