Toernooi op de Grote Markt te Brussel, 1569 1613 - 1615

This engraving, made in 1569 by an anonymous artist, depicts a tournament in Brussels' Grand Place. The process of engraving itself, cutting lines into a metal plate to hold ink, speaks to a moment of increasing mechanization. Engraving allowed for the mass production of images, making art accessible beyond the elite. Looking closely, you can almost feel the weight of labor involved in both the depicted tournament, and the printmaking process itself. There is so much detail in the figures and architecture. Consider how the engraver translated the dynamic energy of the tournament into a static, reproducible image. The contrast between the active scene and the meticulous, repetitive work required to create the engraving highlights the changing relationship between labor, leisure, and representation in the 16th century. By focusing on the materiality and production of this artwork, we recognize that the meaning is not just in the image, but also in the means of its creation and distribution.