Kerspruim en tuinanjer 1617

This is “Kerspruim en tuinanjer,” made by Crispijn van de Passe II, likely in the early 17th century. It's an engraving, a printmaking process involving carving an image into a metal plate, inking the surface, and then pressing paper against it. The stark contrast between the ink and paper lends itself to incredibly fine detail, as you can see in the careful rendering of the plums and carnations. The precision required by this technique speaks to the engraver’s skill, and long hours of labor to produce the plate. Prints like this were relatively inexpensive to produce in multiples, and could be bound in books. They played an important role in the circulation of botanical knowledge, as well as purely decorative images. Consider the difference between this kind of reproductive image, made with meticulous craft, and the seamless digital images we consume today. It invites us to appreciate the labor involved in early image-making.