Heilige Familie met Johannes de Doper en de H. Zacharias 1660

Editor: So, this is "Holy Family with John the Baptist and St. Zechariah," an engraving by Lucas Vorsterman II from 1660. It's interesting how the composition brings these very important religious figures down to an almost domestic scale. What jumps out at you when you look at this piece? Curator: For me, it’s about the intaglio printmaking process. Think about the labour involved, the tools required to incise the image onto the copperplate. We see Vorsterman mediating the sacred through a very earthly, material process. Each line, each hatched area, represents a physical act of labor. How does the print medium influence our understanding of religious imagery? Editor: I suppose it makes it more accessible? Reproducible, at least. More people could own this image than a painting. Curator: Exactly. Consider the socio-economic context. Printmaking enabled the widespread dissemination of religious imagery to a broader audience, essentially democratizing art consumption. Does that cheapen it at all in your eyes? Or does it allow for new modes of devotional interaction, new markets perhaps? Editor: That’s a great point. It allows more private and personal interaction. Curator: Think about the quality of the paper, the ink. Vorsterman relies on contrast to create depth and light. Can we also see in that dark and light a sort of moral judgment between good and evil and question their connection to the work in material form? How are they different or alike? Editor: Wow, I didn't think about it that deeply. Curator: This intaglio doesn't only depict a holy scene. It is a product that connects us to labor, commerce, and spiritual contemplation. We can see in the material the larger influence that mass reproduction might enable for us today. Editor: I never considered the medium as part of the message like that! Thank you for illuminating the impact of material conditions!