Tot slaaf gemaakte Noord-Afrikaanse man 1555 - 1568

Léon Davent created this engraving of a North African man sometime between 1540 and 1556. Engraving is an intaglio process, meaning the image is incised into a plate, usually made of copper. The artist would have used a tool called a burin to physically cut lines into the metal, a labor-intensive process demanding great skill and control. Ink is then applied to the plate and wiped off the surface, remaining only in the incised lines. Paper is laid on top, and both are run through a press, transferring the image. The stark contrast between the lines and the blank paper creates the image. The amount of labor involved is significant, and the choice of subject—a man identified as an enslaved “Moor”—complicates the picture further. The print is, in effect, a manufactured object depicting a man who has himself been subjected to commodification. Consider how materials, making, and social context intertwine to reveal the complex layers of meaning embedded in this image. It challenges conventional notions of both art and craft.