Portret van een jonge vrouw 1841 - 1887

Anna Nahuys made this etching of a young woman, sometime in the 19th century. The image is achieved through a painstaking process. The artist would have applied a waxy ground to a copper plate, then scratched through it with a fine needle to expose the metal. The plate would then be submerged in acid, which bites into the exposed lines, creating grooves. The plate is then inked and wiped, leaving ink only in the etched lines. Finally, it’s pressed onto paper, transferring the image. The fineness of the lines, and the subtle variations in tone achieved through the etching process give the portrait a delicate, almost ethereal quality. The amount of skilled work needed for this relatively small piece is significant, highlighting the labour-intensive nature of traditional printmaking. Considering the time and effort invested, it’s clear that Nahuys regarded printmaking as more than just a reproductive technique, but as a significant artistic endeavor in itself, with the etched line carrying as much expressive weight as a brushstroke or chisel.