Vrouw en meisje met bloemen in landschap met herder en schapen 1623 - 1660

Pieter de Bailliu created this print of a woman and a girl with flowers in a landscape sometime in the 17th century using engraving. This artwork belongs to a tradition of printmaking, where images are meticulously incised into a metal plate, inked, and then pressed onto paper. The fine lines and intricate details that define this image speak to the skill of the engraver. The material reality of the print, its very existence, is intertwined with broader social issues of labor and skill. The labor-intensive nature of engraving meant that prints, while more accessible than unique paintings, still carried a certain value. The artist's ability to transform a blank metal plate into a scene of pastoral leisure is a testament to his mastery of the tools and techniques of engraving. Looking at this print, we can appreciate not only its aesthetic qualities but also the craftsmanship and the social context that shaped its creation. It reminds us that even seemingly simple images are the product of skilled labor and cultural values.