Christus en de overspelige vrouw 1575 - 1581

This print, "Christus en de overspelige vrouw," was made by Philips Galle in the late 16th century, using engraving. The stark contrast of the black ink on paper gives a dramatic weight to the biblical scene. Galle's mastery of the burin, the engraver's tool, allowed him to translate light and shadow into a complex arrangement of lines, each carefully carved into the metal plate. This painstaking process speaks to a workshop tradition, where skill and labor were highly valued. The act of engraving, a reproductive medium, connects to broader social issues of the time. Prints like this served as a means of disseminating religious and moral narratives to a wider audience. Consider the labor involved, not just in Galle's studio, but also in the paper-making and printing trades that supported this image's circulation. By understanding the materials and the making, we recognize how "fine art" practices were deeply entwined with the social and economic currents of their time.