Ornament met offerzuil en kan en vaas 1728

This delicate etching was made in 1728 by Bernard Picart, and it shows a vignette of ritual objects. Picart was a master of this printmaking medium, using line alone to conjure a sense of volume and texture. Look closely, and you’ll see how he varied the marks to create lighter and darker tones. The altar at the center is the focal point, with its billowing smoke. To either side are vessels, all carefully positioned on a shelf. The entire arrangement is framed by garlands of leaves and flowers. The process of etching itself is laborious. The artist would have coated a metal plate with wax, then scratched away the lines of the design. Immersing the plate in acid would then bite into the exposed metal, leaving grooves that could hold ink. The image is then printed. While the subject matter references the ancient world, the print itself speaks to the skilled labor and reproductive technologies of the 18th century. Picart’s virtuosity allowed for the wide dissemination of his designs, blurring the lines between art, craft, and commerce.