Landscape with a Horseman and His Groom c. 1560

Editor: So, this is an anonymous etching titled "Landscape with a Horseman and His Groom," and it looks like it's from sometime before now, given it's in the Harvard Art Museums. I'm really struck by the level of detail achieved through the etching process. What do you see in this piece, considering its materiality? Curator: As a materialist, I'm drawn to the labor involved in its production. The dense network of etched lines suggests a significant investment of time and skill. How do you think the act of etching, the repeated physical gesture, shapes the meaning of the landscape depicted? Editor: I hadn't considered that. It's a manufactured landscape in a way, made through labor. So it is a commodity. Curator: Precisely. Its value lies not just in its aesthetic qualities but also in the resources and the manual effort required for its creation and circulation.