Dispute over a jug of beer 1635 - 1675

Jacques Dassonville made this tiny etching of a barroom brawl in the mid-17th century. Working on a copper plate, Dassonville would have used a sharp needle to draw into a wax ground, then bathed the plate in acid. This biting process creates the fine lines that define the scene. The material itself lends a certain quality to the finished print. The acid creates tiny burrs on either side of the lines, which catch the ink and give a velvety texture. You can see the close, scrappy linework, a testament to the manual effort required to create each print. Consider the social context here. Dassonville is not depicting noble subjects, but the everyday lives of working-class people. The beer jug becomes a flashpoint for conflict, reflecting economic pressures. Though small in scale, this print speaks volumes about the lived realities of 17th-century society. It reminds us that even seemingly simple images are rooted in specific materials, processes, and social dynamics.