Landschap met Mercurius en Battus Possibly 1776 - 1779

This print, "Landschap met Mercurius en Battus," was made in 1776 by Richard Earlom, using a process called mezzotint. This was an intaglio technique, meaning that the image is incised into the plate – traditionally copper – and then printed. Mezzotint is distinctive for the rich, velvety blacks that can be achieved. It involves roughening the entire surface of the plate with a tool called a rocker, then selectively burnishing areas to create lighter tones. This labor-intensive process allowed Earlom to create subtle gradations of light and shadow, giving the landscape depth and atmosphere. The print is after a painting by Claude Lorrain, and was published by John Boydell as part of a series of prints reproducing old master paintings. Boydell aimed to democratize art by making it accessible to a wider audience through prints. Ultimately, the mezzotint medium allowed Earlom to translate the painterly qualities of Lorrain's landscape into a print, and its beauty reminds us that printmaking is more than just reproduction, it's a creative act in itself.