Vignet met een trofee van een wapenuitrusting 1683 - 1733

This 'Vignet met een trofee van een wapenuitrusting' was made by Bernard Picart, sometime between the late 17th and early 18th century, using etching. Here, the artist is primarily concerned with the meticulous rendering of metal surfaces. Note how the light catches the embossed shields, helmets, and weaponry, each carefully described with cross-hatched lines. The whole ensemble creates a feeling of weight, and permanence, in spite of the image’s modest scale. The printmaking processes by which Picart made this image was deeply embedded in a network of workshops, skilled labor, and commercial exchange. The paper itself was an industrial product, made by specialized workers. Each stage of this printmaking was intensely collaborative. In studying Picart's image, we should consider the labour that went into every stage, from the mining of the metal, to the work of the print shop. This helps us to appreciate how deeply intertwined art, labor, and politics truly are.