Diverse zeedieren 1778

This print, "Diverse zeedieren," or "Various marine animals," was made by Robbert Muys sometime in the late 18th or early 19th century, with etching on paper. The images appear as if taken from a naturalist’s notebook. This aesthetic is enhanced by the etching process, a printmaking technique with a relatively light touch. The etcher covers a metal plate with a waxy ground, draws through it with a stylus, and then bathes the plate in acid. The exposed lines are eaten away, leaving an image that can then be printed with ink. The result is a delicate, somewhat tentative line, ideally suited to capturing these fragile marine organisms. While seemingly effortless, the etching is in fact a painstaking process, requiring great skill and control. Prints like these were critical to the advancement of science. They also served as a reminder of nature's bounty, and its vulnerability to the rapidly expanding forces of human industry and consumption. They blur the boundaries between scientific documentation and artistic interpretation.