Kind met hart knielt voor engel met wetstafelen met harten 1590 - 1624

This tiny print, made by Boëtius Adamsz. Bolswert, probably in the 17th century, is an engraving. That means the image was incised into a metal plate, likely copper, with a tool called a burin, and then printed. The material of the print itself – paper – is crucial. It's a relatively cheap, easily reproducible medium, ideally suited to the mass dissemination of images and ideas. Look closely, and you can see the incredible detail achieved through the engraver's labor: the textures of the stone walls, the folds in the kneeling child’s robes, the radiant glow of the angel. The image itself depicts a child kneeling before an angel, offering a heart. The angel presents tablets inscribed with hearts instead of text. Bolswert was a master printmaker, who worked for various religious orders, spreading their messages through the new medium of print. The choice of such accessible materials speaks volumes about the intentions behind this work, and the social context in which it was made.