Plate 18: Camel viewed from behind with pyramid at left, from "Various animals" (Diversi animali) 1636 - 1646

This print, ‘Camel viewed from behind with pyramid at left’, was made by Stefano della Bella sometime in the mid-17th century. It is an etching, meaning that the artist would have coated a copper plate with wax, drawn an image into the wax with a sharp needle, and then bathed the plate in acid. This would bite away the exposed lines, allowing for ink to be applied and then transferred to paper. Look closely and you can see the richness of textures achieved with this process: the rough hide of the camel, the granular surface of the pyramid, the soft lines of the horizon. Consider the labor involved in the production of prints such as this. From the mining of copper to the grinding of pigments, these images depended on an extensive network of production. Ultimately, prints like these facilitated the circulation of images and ideas across Europe. They were a relatively inexpensive art form, which democratized the consumption of art, and information. Far from being a straightforward image, this etching is an index of early modern making.