Monument voor Wolter Jan Gerrit baron Bentinck, 1781 1781

This print, made by Cornelis Bogerts in 1781, commemorates Wolter Jan Gerrit baron Bentinck. It is made using engraving, a printmaking technique where lines are incised into a metal plate, which is then inked and printed. The process has imbued the artwork with a sharp graphic quality, as the artist meticulously cuts lines to create tonal variations, using dense clusters to form shadow and depth. The monumentality of the subject matter, combined with the precision of the engraving technique, speaks to the skill of the artist, and the engraver's work also reproduces the marble sculpture of Bentinck that it commemorates. The skilled traditions here belong to the histories of creative practices and aesthetics. Understanding the importance of materials and context in engraving challenges traditional distinctions between fine art and craft, revealing the social significance embedded in the artist's chosen method of production.