Krotwoning aan een beek 1825 - 1882

This print of a cottage by a stream was made by Jacobus Ludovicus Cornet, and is currently held at the Rijksmuseum. It is made using etching, a printmaking technique that uses acid to cut into a metal plate, allowing for highly detailed and textured images to be created. The intricate lines of the etching beautifully capture the rustic charm of the cottage, emphasizing the texture of the thatched roof and the rough-hewn wooden structures. The depth of the image results from Cornet's method of varying the marks on the plate, controlling the amount of ink retained and transferred to the paper, giving a range of tonal values. Prints like these would have been relatively accessible to a wide audience, allowing for the dissemination of images and ideas. It shows how the detailed work involved in etching could translate scenes of rural life into reproducible art, blurring the boundaries between fine art and the craft of printmaking.