A group of people playing cards at right and a man on horseback at left 1626 - 1680

This artwork by Giovanni Francesco Grimaldi was made using etching, a printmaking technique that involves biting lines into a metal plate with acid, which then holds ink to produce an image. The fine lines created through this process give the scene an atmospheric quality. The etched lines show figures engaged in leisure within a landscape: a group playing cards, and a man on horseback. The etched lines and the way they create shading give the artwork depth and texture, mimicking the play of light and shadow across the natural setting. Grimaldi's choice of etching as a medium is significant. As a form of printmaking, it allows for the reproduction and wider distribution of images. In the context of 17th-century Europe, this reflects the increasing commodification of art and the rise of a market for prints. It speaks to wider social issues of labor and consumption, because a single artwork would generate multiples. By appreciating the materiality and making of this print, we can fully understand its cultural and historical resonance.