Boar, deer, heron and other game 1647

This print of a boar, deer, heron and other game, was made by Wenceslaus Hollar sometime in the 17th century, using the etching process. Here, a copper plate is covered with a waxy ground and the image is scratched into it with a needle. The plate is then immersed in acid, which bites into the exposed lines. This creates grooves that hold ink, which is then transferred to paper under high pressure in a printing press. What I find fascinating about Hollar's choice of printmaking is that its comparative ease allowed for a democratization of imagery, and it became closely tied to the rise of a market economy. By emphasizing line and form over the more painterly qualities of tone, Hollar also directs our attention to the real subject of the work: not just the animals, but the hunt itself, and its social and economic context.