Studie van een hand 1590 - 1600

This is an etching of a hand, author unknown, found in the collection of the Rijksmuseum. Hands, of course, are a means to do work, whether that’s physical labour or making art itself. As such, this etching draws attention to the means of its own production. As an etching, it would have been a relatively cheap method of reproduction, and so it may have been conceived as an affordable model for art students to learn from. The image is striking due to its clean lines. The sharp delineation and contrast give the hand a sculptural quality that is interesting to consider. Does this refer back to the tradition of making plaster casts in art academies? To understand the social life of this image, one might consider the way the market for prints developed in the Netherlands at this time. What role did institutions play in the circulation and consumption of such images? The meaning of art is contingent on such social and institutional contexts.