Herder trekt een doorn uit de voet van de herderin 1769 - 1772

Balthasar Anton Dunker made this etching, titled *Herder trekt een doorn uit de voet van de herderin*, using a copper plate. Copper etching involves coating a metal plate with a waxy, acid-resistant substance, then scratching an image into the coating, exposing the metal. When dipped in acid, the exposed lines are eaten away, creating grooves. Ink is then applied to the plate, filling these grooves, and the surface is wiped clean. Finally, paper is pressed onto the plate, transferring the ink and image. Here, the evenness of the line suggests the artist used a tool called a *échoppe*, which allowed for the creation of swelling lines. The image is a pastoral scene, and the labor of the shepherd and shepherdess is romanticized in the print. The material of the print, however, indexes the labor of the printmaker. Paying attention to materials and making helps us appreciate the range of skills involved in the production of even a seemingly simple image.