Gezicht over het Spaarne, Haarlem 1688 - 1721

Jan van der Vinne’s ‘View over the Spaarne, Haarlem,’ is an etching, made around the turn of the 18th century. The medium of etching is crucial here. The image begins as a metal plate, likely copper. The artist covers it with a waxy ground, then draws through the ground with a needle to expose the metal. Immersing the plate in acid, the drawn lines are bitten, creating grooves. Ink is then applied to the plate, filling the grooves, and the surface is wiped clean. Finally, the image is transferred to paper under high pressure in a printing press. Look closely, and you can see how the etched lines vary in weight and density, creating the atmospheric perspective of the scene. The precision and detail, enabled by the etching process, allow van der Vinne to capture the bustling maritime activity on the Spaarne River, a vital artery of trade and transport for Haarlem at the time. The relative ease with which these images could be reproduced also speaks to a growing culture of printmaking and distribution, reaching new audiences and contributing to the spread of visual information and artistic ideas. This was early modern globalization in action.