Rocky Landscape (with Shepherd and Seven Sheep) c. 17th century

Editor: This is Jacques Prou's "Rocky Landscape (with Shepherd and Seven Sheep)," an etching. The intricate lines create a captivating scene. What can you tell me about the conditions that made this work possible? Curator: Consider the copperplate, the acid, the press, and the societal need for reproducible images. Prou was dependent on workshops and the market for prints. How did the means of production influence the final image and its accessibility to different social classes? Editor: That's fascinating! It makes me think differently about the labor involved. Curator: Indeed. And consider how the etching medium, a form of mass production, democratized landscape imagery. We gain a deeper appreciation by understanding these material and social factors.