Overwinning van hertog Karel V van Lotharingen en markgraaf Lodewijk Willem van Baden-Baden op de Turken, 1687 1687

This print, made by Romeyn de Hooghe in 1687, commemorates the victory of Charles V and Louis William of Baden-Baden over the Turks. The image was achieved through etching, a printmaking process with a long and fascinating history. In etching, a metal plate, usually copper, is coated with a waxy, acid-resistant substance. The artist then draws through this coating with a needle, exposing the metal. When the plate is immersed in acid, the exposed lines are etched into the surface. This creates grooves that hold ink, which is then transferred to paper under high pressure in a printing press. The fine lines and detailed rendering you see here were created by the artist manipulating the plate, and the duration of its immersion in acid. As a multiple, this print allowed for the wide dissemination of political messaging. Consider how this contrasts with the unique, handmade quality of the etching process itself, a tension that makes this image so compelling.