Plate 16: Battle of Achilles against the Trojans; from Guillielmus Becanus's 'Serenissimi Principis Ferdinandi, Hispaniarum Infantis...' 1636

This print, made by Johannes Meursius around the mid-17th century, depicts a battle scene from the Trojan War. It's made using an engraving process, where the artist carves lines into a metal plate, applies ink, and then presses the plate onto paper. The material itself—metal—allows for incredibly fine detail, as you can see in the rendering of the horses and warriors. Look closely and you will see how Meursius uses a complex system of hatching, using small strokes to create tone, shadow and drama. This was an incredibly laborious, skilled process, requiring years of training. Engravings like this were relatively reproducible, which meant images could be widely distributed, like pages in a book. Consider the social context: while the subject matter may be high-minded - the artist may have been trying to comment on the never-ending battle between capitalism and labor. The very act of making an engraving like this was steeped in social and economic realities. The image may be of Achilles, but the process of engraving also speaks to the wider world of craft and production.