Det indre af Moské i Córdoba 1852

This print of the interior of the Córdoba Mosque was made by Heinrich Hansen using etching and engraving techniques. Look closely, and you can see how these processes allow for incredible detail. An engraver uses a tool called a burin to carve lines directly into a metal plate. Etching allows for more freedom, as lines are drawn through a protective coating and then bitten into the plate with acid. Hansen likely combined both methods. The linear quality of the image gives a sense of the immense scale of the mosque's architecture, with its rows upon rows of arches and columns receding into the distance. The print medium also allowed this image of the Mosque to circulate widely, serving as both documentation and a work of art. The creation of such a detailed print required precision, patience and skill, a demonstration of how craft and artistry can combine to capture the beauty and grandeur of architecture.