Gebouwen en brug te Vreeswijk bij Vianen, verwoest door de Fransen in 1672 1672 - 1676

Isaac Sorious made this print depicting Vreeswijk after it was ravaged by the French in 1672 using etching, a printmaking technique that democratized image production in its time. With etching, a metal plate is coated with a waxy ground, and the artist draws through this, exposing the metal. Immersing the plate in acid bites away at the exposed lines, creating grooves that hold ink. This process allows for incredibly fine and detailed lines, which we see here in the textures of the ruined buildings. The linear precision is crucial. Sorious is not just showing us the devastation; he is giving documentary evidence. Note the shattered windmill, the collapsed facades, the displaced stone blocks; all are rendered with care. This etching, therefore, isn't just a work of art. It's a piece of reportage, made possible by the relatively quick and reproducible medium of etching. By focusing on the materials and techniques used, we understand how this image circulated, shaping public memory of a traumatic event.