Vulcanus hangt een ijzeren net boven het bed 1576 - 1628

This engraving, made by Jan Collaert the Younger around the turn of the 17th century, depicts Vulcan, the Roman god of the forge, setting a cunning trap. Look closely, and you’ll see that the ‘net’ he’s suspending is finely wrought from metal. The linear precision of the printmaking process mimics the careful labor of the blacksmith, linking representation to the actual work of making things. Metalwork was critical to early modern economies, both for tools and weaponry, and for domestic wares, and this image gives us a glimpse of this. In a way, Vulcan’s work in the forge is here elevated to an art form. The net, though functional, is also a testament to skill and ingenuity. Collaert asks us to consider how technique, design, and labor intertwine. It’s a reminder that what we often separate as ‘art’ and ‘craft’ are deeply interconnected, reflecting the culture and the means of production from which they spring.