Vos jagend op een konijn 1834 - 1890

Charles Verlat made this etching, "Vos jagend op een konijn" - "Fox Hunting a Rabbit" - using metal plates and acid. Etching is an indirect process. The artist protects the plate with a coating, then scratches through it with a needle to expose the metal. When the plate is bathed in acid, the exposed lines are eaten away, leaving an image that can be inked and printed. The result is delicate, almost ghostly. The fox seems to emerge from the blank paper, a testament to Verlat’s skill and the exacting, repetitive labor that etching demands. This print hints at the broader social context of art production in the 19th century, when skilled craftsmanship was transitioning from workshop to factory. Verlat uses the etched line to capture the dynamism of the hunt. The fox appears mid-leap, its body arched, tail extended, all captured with a lightness of touch that belies the labor-intensive process behind it. Appreciating the materials and the making helps us understand how artists like Verlat navigated these changing times, bringing time-honored skills to bear on modern subjects.