Gebruik van de meetplank op drie manieren 1690

This print, “Gebruik van de meetplank op drie manieren,” was made by Sébastien Leclerc I, likely in the late 17th or early 18th century, using the technique of etching. The dense lines and precisely delineated forms were achieved by drawing through a waxy ground on a metal plate, which was then bathed in acid. This process, though chemical, allowed for a high degree of control. The resulting print, made on paper, then becomes a means of disseminating information. Look closely, and you'll see the combination of technical precision and artistic skill. Leclerc wasn't just decorating a page; he was codifying a method. He's showing us the use of a surveyor's plane table in a landscape. We are seeing the rise of empiricism, and the value of rendering the world geometrically, which was essential to mapping, military planning, and control over territory. The print, therefore, embodies the ethos of its time, when craft, science, and power were closely entwined. It demonstrates the power of the printing press in encoding knowledge, but also the labor and skill involved in capturing it.