Hoofd van een oudere man en hoofd van een vrouw c. 1663 - 1666

Giuseppe Maria Mitelli made this print of an older man and a woman’s head sometime before 1718, using etching. The incised lines provide a wealth of visual information. Look closely, and you can see the artist’s hand at work, the varied pressure and speed with which he moved his etching needle through the ground. Light and shadow are evoked through hatching, building depth, and volume. There is a tonal range, from the white of the page to the deepest blacks of the etched line. Mitelli was working within a well-established printmaking tradition, one that valued technical skill and close observation. It's easy to overlook the labor involved in producing prints like these. From preparing the metal plate to the printing process itself, each step demanded time and expertise. While prints were often more accessible than paintings, they were still products of skilled craftsmanship, reflecting the social and economic realities of their time. This emphasis on material and process helps us appreciate the skill involved, and challenges the traditional hierarchy between art and craft.