Gezicht op de kerk van Saint-Gervais-Saint-Protais te Parijs 1655

This print depicting the Church of Saint-Gervais-Saint-Protais in Paris was made by Matthäus Merian the Younger, probably sometime in the mid-17th century. It is an engraving, which is to say, the image was incised into a metal plate, inked, and then printed onto paper. Consider the labor involved in creating this image. The artist would have needed to be highly skilled in draftsmanship, as well as familiar with the chemical processes required to etch the plate. The fine lines and details of the church facade demonstrate the engraver's technical mastery and the amount of work involved in the production process. In contrast to painting, the relatively easy reproducibility of prints meant that images like this could circulate widely. The print’s function was to document and disseminate views of Parisian landmarks to a broad audience, to fuel the city's growing cultural prominence. Appreciating how it was made gives us a richer understanding of the print’s original purpose and its significance as a means of communication and documentation.