Cavalry Attack on a Walled Fortress 

Antonio Tempesta made this print of a cavalry attack sometime between 1570 and 1630 using an etching technique on paper. The visual intensity comes from the thousands of etched lines, each one requiring the careful application of a sharp tool. Think of the labor involved in producing this single image. The artist would have started with a metal plate coated in wax. Using a sharp needle, he drew through the wax to expose the metal underneath. The plate was then immersed in acid, which bit into the exposed lines, creating grooves. Ink was applied, filling these grooves, and the surface wiped clean. Finally, the image was transferred to paper under high pressure in a printing press. Prints like this were relatively inexpensive and could be circulated widely. It's not "high art" but it’s a fascinating document of its time, and a testament to the skill of the printmaker, connecting the history of art and the history of labor.