Boswachtershuis op het landgoed van Paleis Soestdijk 1725 - 1747

Hendrik de Leth created this print of the 'Forester's House on the Estate of Soestdijk Palace' using etching, a printmaking technique that involves biting lines into a metal plate with acid. Consider the labor involved in this print. De Leth would have carefully coated a copper plate with a waxy, acid-resistant ground, then drawn the image through the ground with a sharp needle. The plate was then submerged in acid, which bit into the exposed lines, creating grooves. Ink was applied to the plate, filling the etched lines, and the surface wiped clean. Finally, the plate was pressed onto paper, transferring the image. The resulting print has a linear quality. Notice how the artist uses varying line weights and densities to create a sense of depth, shadow, and texture. This print wasn’t just about depicting a building; it involved skill, planning, and manual labor. It bridges the fine line between craft and art, revealing the social and economic context of its making.