Cartouche with Title: Nouvelles inventions de Cartouches 1600 - 1700

This print, made in Paris in 1647, is an etching, a process by which a metal plate is coated in wax, the design scratched into it, and then acid is applied, biting away the exposed metal. This was a relatively new technology at the time, and its capacity to make images quickly, and in large numbers, was closely linked to the rise of consumer culture. Just think of all the work involved in the production process. The artist has used this technique to create a cartouche, an ornamental frame, filled with naturalistic ornament and crowned by two helmeted, leopard-like creatures. The image is a riot of line and texture, made possible by the etching process. The frame would have been used by others—calligraphers, illuminators, even amateur enthusiasts—to present text or images, selling their wares and, perhaps, promoting their status as skilled makers. It’s a reminder that every image, even one as apparently straightforward as this, is the product of many hands and complex social relations.