Susanna en de ouderlingen 1635 - 1694

Dirck de Bray created this small print, “Susanna and the Elders,” using a technique called woodcut. Here, the artist would have laboriously carved away the areas of a wood block to leave a raised design. When inked and pressed to paper, this creates a stark, graphic image. The medium itself—wood—gives the print a rough, textured quality. Look closely, and you’ll notice the fine lines and cross-hatching, all achieved with careful handwork. Woodcut is an old process, far removed from the industrial revolution that was already transforming Europe in the 17th century. Yet prints like these served as a means of mass communication. They were relatively cheap to produce, and could disseminate imagery and information widely. Prints like these blurred the lines between art and craft. De Bray, a painter and architect, also practiced printmaking, a trade that required both artistic skill and manual labor. This print isn’t just a work of art; it's a testament to the intertwined histories of fine art and the graphic trades.