Jongen met kat 1625 - 1675

This print, Jongen met kat, or Boy with Cat, was made by an anonymous artist. It's an etching, a printmaking technique where the artist covers a metal plate with a waxy ground, then scratches an image into it with a needle. The plate is then bathed in acid, which bites into the exposed lines. The deeper the bite, the darker the line will appear when printed. Look closely, and you’ll notice the image is built up from a dense network of these etched lines. This time-consuming process suggests the value placed on images, and their reproduction, during the period. The lines create texture, volume, and shading. The labor-intensive nature of etching meant that prints like these were precious commodities, circulating images and ideas in a pre-digital age. Though it is a 'reproducible' medium, the handwork involved reminds us that there's nothing truly mass-produced about it.