Vejfarende i et bjerglandskab, i baggrunden huse på klipper og en floddal 1667

This is "Vejfarende i et bjerglandskab" an etching made by Herman Saftleven, using a metal plate and acid. The material qualities of the etching process are evident throughout the composition. Saftleven would have painstakingly drawn into a wax ground, exposing the metal beneath. The plate was then submerged into an acid bath, biting into the metal, which allowed for printing of the image. Look closely, and you will notice the precision of the etched lines, giving form to the rocks, foliage and figures. These are not traditional art materials in the same way that painting is, but it shows that even though this is made with industrial materials, a very high level of skill is required to produce this artwork. The very act of etching—the labor involved in the drawing and the chemical process—lends a particular character to the scene. Consider how this contrasts with the subject matter: figures traveling through the landscape, seemingly engaged in their own labors. The scale of the work, being small, speaks to the intimacy and the close relationship between maker and material.