Huldeblijk ter gelegenheid van het vijfentwintigjarig jubileum van de N.V. Philips Gloeilampenfabrieken 1916

Carel Adolph Lion Cachet made this celebratory print for Philips in 1916. The printmaking process, like painting, is so much about touch; you can see this in the way the ink sits on the surface, almost like a soft, velvety texture. It’s not just about reproducing an image, it's about the feeling of the material itself. Look at the way Cachet uses these muted tones, almost a grisaille. There's a deliberate, almost reverent quality to the hatching marks and the vertical lines in the background. The ink isn’t totally opaque, is it? You can almost see the layers and decisions being made as you gaze into the image. The area around the central diamond shape, with its detailed lettering, has a delicate, handmade quality, full of care. It reminds me of the graphic work of someone like Emil Nolde, with its appreciation of folk art. Ultimately, this print invites us to appreciate the beauty of imperfection and the ongoing dialogue of mark-making across artistic practices.