David 1613

This print of David was made by Cornelis Galle I, a Flemish printmaker, around the turn of the 17th century. It's an engraving, meaning the image was incised into a metal plate, likely copper, with a tool called a burin. The linear quality of the image comes directly from this process; look closely, and you can see how Galle built up tone through closely-hatched lines. This was a highly skilled practice, requiring years of apprenticeship. Galle would have been part of a workshop, producing prints for a growing market of collectors and book publishers. The materiality of the print – its reliance on metal, ink, and paper – speaks to the rise of early modern capitalism. Printmaking allowed for the mass production of images, fueling the spread of ideas and artistic styles. The texture and weight of the paper, the sheen of the ink, all contribute to the overall effect, reminding us that even seemingly simple images are the product of complex material and social processes. Understanding these processes is key to appreciating the full significance of works like this.