Een faun met kruik bij de rivier 1822

Johann Georg Schinz made this print, Faun with Jug by the River, in the early 19th century. Look closely, and you’ll notice the entire image is built from very fine lines. This is an etching, a printmaking technique where lines are incised into a metal plate using acid, then inked and pressed onto paper. The controlled, repetitive labor needed to create this image speaks volumes. Schinz would have meticulously drawn each line through a waxy, acid-resistant layer on the plate, before bathing it in acid. The longer the acid bath, the deeper the lines, and the darker they appear in the print. The result is a highly detailed image of leisure in nature. In this era, printmaking was more than just a reproductive medium; it was a sophisticated craft and a vital means of distributing imagery widely. By understanding the labor and skill involved, we can move beyond the image itself and appreciate the artistry embedded in the process.