Cartouche met een koordrand, omgeven door moresken. c. 1555 - 1560

This ‘Cartouche with a cord border, surrounded by moresques’ was etched by Johannes or Lucas van Doetechum, using an iron plate. The nature of the medium dictates the aesthetic: it is an intaglio print, meaning that the lines are incised, and these hold the ink. Look closely, and you can see that the design has been built up through a labor-intensive process, with tools that allowed for very fine control. The effect is like a filigree of metalwork. It is easy to see this print as a flat image. But originally, it would have been used as a template for highly skilled makers working in other media, like precious metals, plaster or wood. Prints like this one are fascinating because they demonstrate how design ideas circulated in early modern Europe. It was a world dependent on craft skill, but increasingly driven by the market. This object shows us that tension, between the hand and the bottom line. We are reminded that "art" does not exist in a vacuum, but in a context of making, labor, and exchange.