Valdemar Atterdag 1646

This print of Valdemar Atterdag was made with etching, a process involving biting lines into a metal plate with acid, then inking and pressing it onto paper. The fine lines and details, from the king's crown to the texture of his beard, are achieved through the controlled application of acid. This process, developed during the Renaissance, enabled the relatively easy mass production of images, making them available to a wider audience, and circulating likenesses of nobility. The print medium itself carries social meaning. It democratized image-making, removing it from the exclusive realm of painting and sculpture. This wasn't just about art; it was about disseminating information, propaganda, and ideas, crucial in a time of shifting political power. You can really see the labor involved in the careful, precise work required to create the etched plate. Thinking about this work, we are invited to consider printmaking not just as a means of reproduction but as a distinct craft with its own aesthetic and social implications.