Christuskind met kruis op een verlichte wolk 1683

Sébastien Leclerc I made this small engraving of the Christ Child with a cross, though we don’t know exactly when. Leclerc was a master of the etching needle. Look closely, and you’ll see how he created this image, line by line. The figure of Christ and the radiant sun are achieved through varied densities of etched lines, with more lines indicating deeper shadow, and fewer allowing the white of the paper to come through. Consider the labor involved in this delicate work. Each line meticulously placed to create a shimmering effect. Engravings like this were relatively inexpensive and easily reproduced, making them accessible to a wide audience, and were often bound into books. The economics of printmaking allowed for the mass dissemination of images, a kind of early modern social media. It’s a reminder that even seemingly precious works of art are often tied to wider issues of labor, politics, and consumption.