Standbeeld van Flora 1660 - 1677

This print of Flora was made by Claude Mellan, likely in the mid-17th century, using engraving. What's so compelling about this image is the fact that it was achieved through one single line, spiraling and varying its weight to produce the tones that give form to this classical figure. The labor involved in this piece is considerable. With no room for error, every movement with the burin had to be deliberate and precise, bearing down to create darks, lifting up for lights. Mellan was celebrated for his engraving skills and this is a fine example of the kind of virtuosity that was admired at the time. Prints like this allowed classical sculpture to be disseminated far and wide, well before photography. In that sense, it is a product of its time, when the hand-made and mechanically reproduced were closely linked. Consider the skill required to realize this image – and what it tells us about the hierarchy of labor and value in early modern Europe.