Frank van Borselen knielt voor Jacoba van Beieren 1790

Reinier Vinkeles made this print, Frank van Borselen kneeling before Jacoba van Beieren, sometime in the late 18th or early 19th century, using the technique of etching. Look closely, and you can see how the etched lines define the forms and textures of the scene. The process begins with a metal plate, covered with a waxy, acid-resistant ground. The artist then draws through this ground with a sharp needle, exposing the metal beneath. When the plate is immersed in acid, the drawn lines are “bitten” into the surface. Ink is then applied, filling only the etched lines, and the plate is pressed onto paper, transferring the image. The resulting print bears the mark of skilled labor, but more than that, it participates in a wider economy. Etchings like this one were relatively easy to produce and distribute widely. So, while depicting a scene of aristocratic power, the print was itself a product of emerging capitalist systems, bringing art to a broader audience. This blend of traditional craft and modern means of production is key to understanding the cultural landscape of Vinkeles’s time.