Overlijden van Everhard van der Mark (Erard de la Marck), prins-bisschop van Luik 1538

Curator: This print, titled "Overlijden van Everhard van der Mark (Erard de la Marck), prins-bisschop van Luik," commemorates the death of a prominent historical figure. It dates back to 1538 and, interestingly, it seems that we do not know who produced the original matrix. Editor: What a weighty little thing it looks. A solemn coin tossed from some grim purse, the script whispering secrets into the grave, and a heraldic symbol of power. There’s a strange beauty in such functional mortality, no? Curator: The process behind this sort of print demands consideration; the engraving on metal creates reproducible images, enabling widespread distribution of propaganda or information. This piece exemplifies how artistry was interwoven with the mechanisms of power and religion in Renaissance society. Editor: And what secrets do we imagine those metalworkers exchanged? Was it piece-work, grumbling about lead poisoning and the price of beer, or something approaching craft-zeal in commemorating some bigwig’s exit? Because it’s got *that* hum. Something a little sad, and permanent. Curator: Thinking about it in terms of permanence leads me to how this humble, reproducible medium grants Everhard van der Mark a kind of extended presence. Through repeated impressions, his legacy remains circulating even now. Editor: Yes, a funny old echo! It sets me off daydreaming that the engraver didn’t love old Everhard but got him nonetheless, trapped in the very stuff that rots. Curator: Right; through distribution, and perhaps accidental preservation within different social classes, prints create lasting stories, or rather versions, that affect public memory through the centuries. It is quite marvelous the reach of something as 'humble' as an engraving. Editor: Marvelous and grim, a memorial rendered with such blunt beauty from the belly of the earth...Well! That sends my brain spinning nicely.