Kvinden med uglen 1489 - 1509

Editor: So, this is 'Kvinden med uglen', or 'Woman with the Owl' by Monogrammist MZ, made sometime between 1489 and 1509. It’s an engraving. I’m struck by the almost dreamlike quality of it, a mix of landscape, portrait, and this bizarre banner in the sky. What's your take on this, seeing it through the lens of materiality? Curator: Well, considering its materiality and process, the engraving reveals a lot about Northern Renaissance printmaking’s function and place in society. The fine lines achieved with the engraving tool tell us about the highly skilled labour involved. It suggests printmaking had moved beyond purely functional religious imagery. Editor: Function beyond religious imagery, how so? Curator: Notice the attention given to the woman's clothing, the details of the landscape, and even the playful interaction with the animals. Engravings like this were becoming commodities themselves, items to be collected and displayed. Who was consuming these, and what was the impact of its circulation? Editor: That’s a really interesting point! Thinking about consumption makes me wonder if prints like this also offered a way for people to engage with art on a more personal level, like an early form of mass media. Curator: Precisely! They made art accessible to a wider audience. The use of copperplate and the development of printing techniques fueled artistic creation, impacting what artists chose to depict and how their work reached the public. What does the image signal of early consumerism? Editor: I never really considered the material production as such a huge influence. Thanks, seeing this engraving as part of a larger economic and social system really changed my perspective. Curator: Indeed! Considering its material and process brings forward significant questions about the social and economic context of art production in the late 15th century.