Utrecht belegerd door Gijsbrecht IV van Amstel, ca. 1268-1272 1725 - 1784

Simon Fokke made this etching, Utrecht under Siege by Gijsbrecht IV van Amstel, in the 1700s, many years after the historic events of 1268-1272 that it represents. Fokke used metal plate engraving, a printmaking technique involving the incising of an image onto a metal plate, which is then inked and pressed onto paper. The fine lines we see are the result of a burin, a specialized cutting tool, carefully manipulated by the engraver. This was a laborious process, demanding precision and skill. In this print, the linear quality of the engraving is evident in the depiction of the siege, the massed soldiers, the architecture of Utrecht and the sky. The process allowed Fokke to distribute the image widely, making history accessible to a broader public, and also shaping a particular view of the past. The act of engraving, therefore, becomes a means of cultural production, not just an artistic technique, reflecting the engraver's labor and contributing to the circulation of ideas within society.