Personificatie van het zintuig Gezicht c. 1740 - 1760

Etienne Fessard created this print, "Personification of the Sense of Sight," using etching and engraving, techniques reliant on precise control of line. Look closely, and you'll see how the quality of those lines – their thickness, density, and direction – creates the image, from the figure's musculature to the radiating light. Fessard wasn't just copying an image; he was translating it into a language of marks. This was painstaking work, each line a conscious decision. The printmaking process allowed for multiples, democratizing images and fueling the Enlightenment's thirst for knowledge. Yet, the skill involved highlights a tension: while prints made art accessible, the expertise required to produce them remained specialized. This underscores how even seemingly reproducible images carry within them a history of labor, skill, and the complex relationship between art, craft, and commerce.