Adam navngiver dyrene 1604

Jan Saenredam made this print, "Adam Naming the Animals," around the turn of the 17th century. It's an engraving, meaning that the image was incised into a copper plate, which was then inked and printed. This was a highly skilled process, requiring immense control of line. Notice how the density of marks creates areas of shadow, and how Saenredam uses cross-hatching to give the figures volume. Engraving was at this time a highly developed commercial art. Prints were relatively cheap to produce and buy, allowing images to circulate widely. Consider this print in that context: it flattens the biblical story into a neat allegory, easily digestible for a broad audience. Saenredam wasn't just an artist, but a businessman, and we should appreciate his technical virtuosity in that light. He was producing images for the market, and doing so with extraordinary skill.