Soldaten bestormen een burcht 1706

Bernard Picart made this print of soldiers storming a castle with etching tools on a copper plate. Picart used a metal stylus to draw through a waxy ground, exposing the metal. He then immersed the plate in acid, which bit into the lines, creating an image in relief. The fine lines and precise details show Picart's mastery of this printmaking technique. However, while the print is ostensibly about warfare in a distant time, it can also be understood in relation to the militarism of Picart's own era. The print is not just an aesthetic object, but a material artifact deeply entwined with the social and political contexts of its time. The labor-intensive process of etching mirrors the immense amount of labor that goes into military campaigns. Considering materials, making, and context helps us fully appreciate the meaning embedded within this artwork.