Gezicht op het Oude Slot te Heemstede 1742 - 1784

Hendrik Spilman created this print of the Old Castle at Heemstede using etching and engraving. The graphic impact of the image comes entirely from these processes. The matrix would have been a copper plate, meticulously worked with sharp tools to create lines that would hold the ink. Consider the effect of these linear marks, and their capacity to describe the scene: the shadows under the trees, the texture of the brickwork. Every detail is built from the accumulation of tiny engraved lines. Note the way these marks delineate the tonal range, varying from the bright sky to the shaded areas. The image gives us a window onto a specific place and time. But it is also very much of its own moment, an example of exacting graphic skill. While we might think of printmaking as a reproductive technology, here it is a highly refined process that speaks to a deep history of craft.