Gezicht op de kerk en Huis Bergh en gezicht op de Zeddamse poort, te 's-Heerenberg 1745 - 1792

Hendrik Spilman made this print of the church, Huis Bergh and the Zeddamse gate in 's-Heerenberg, using etching, a process that is quite indirect. First, he would have coated a copper plate with wax, then drawn through it with a needle to expose the metal. After that, the whole plate would have been submerged in acid, which bites into the exposed lines. The resulting incised plate would then be inked and wiped clean, leaving ink only in the recessed lines. Finally, the plate is pressed against a sheet of paper, transferring the image. The physical character of the print - its fineness of line and monochrome palette - is entirely dependent on this sequence of actions. Spilman was clearly skilled, but the etched line also allowed for a certain amount of mass production. This was a popular means of circulating images in the 18th century, connecting viewers to faraway places. It is important to remember that what we see in a print is not just an image, but the result of mechanical reproduction.