Oude man vraagt Chloe en Pericles hem te volgen naar de bergen 1773

This print, "Oude man vraagt Chloe en Pericles hem te volgen naar de bergen", was made by Reinier Vinkeles in the late 18th century. The technique used is etching, a printmaking process with a long and fascinating history. An etcher coats a metal plate with a waxy, acid-resistant substance, then scratches an image into it with a needle. The plate is then immersed in acid, which bites into the exposed lines, creating grooves. Finally, the plate is inked, and the surface wiped clean, leaving ink only in the etched lines. The image is then transferred to paper under pressure. Think about the labor involved: the meticulous preparation of the plate, the careful drawing, the controlled use of acid, and finally the printing itself. This wasn't mass production, but a skilled craft, aligning the printmaker with a pre-industrial mode of production. It's a world away from our digital image culture, reminding us of the value of slow, deliberate creation.