Leaf-ornament with a Heron 1445 - 1467

This leaf ornament with a heron was made by Master ES around 1450-1467 using engraving, a printmaking technique. Look closely, and you’ll see that the image is composed of thousands of tiny etched lines. The artist would have used a tool called a burin to manually carve these lines into a copper plate. Ink is then pressed into these grooves and the image transferred to paper, yielding a print that could be reproduced many times over. Engraving was a highly skilled process that took years to master. This intricacy is remarkable, and the texture and tone have an extraordinary delicacy. The print has a crispness to it, the lines and ornamental details of the leaves and heron are clearly defined. The printmaking process allowed for the relatively inexpensive mass production of images. So this wasn't just art, it was a commodity, a product of its time, that was directly related to early forms of capitalism. By considering the materials, means of production, and distribution of this print, we gain a deeper appreciation for its historical and cultural significance.