Onderdeel van het menselijk lichaam met een afwijking 1836 - 1912

This small print by Isaac Weissenbruch, whose title translates to 'Part of the Human Body with an Abnormality,' was made using etching, a form of intaglio printing. With etching, a metal plate is coated with a waxy, acid-resistant substance called a 'ground.' The artist then scratches an image into the ground, exposing the metal. When the plate is submerged in acid, the exposed areas are eaten away, creating an image in the plate. Ink is then applied to the plate and the surface is wiped clean, leaving ink only in the etched lines. Finally, the plate is pressed onto paper, transferring the image. This method allows for fine detail, seen here in the delineation of the body tissue and the careful shading. The processes of preparation and immersion in acid require careful and skilled work. The use of etching allowed for multiple impressions of the same image, essential for scientific study at the time, and raising questions of labor, value, and how we understand art. Looking at this image, we can appreciate the deep connection between materials, techniques, and the wider context of scientific knowledge and reproduction.