Tuin met centrale parterre met in het midden een fontein c. 1587 - 1640

This print, "Tuin met centrale parterre met in het midden een fontein," of a garden with a central parterre and fountain, at the Rijksmuseum, was made anonymously using the technique of etching. Etching is an indirect intaglio process, a chemical rather than a purely mechanical means to incise a design into a metal plate. The etcher covers a metal plate with a waxy ground, then scratches an image into it with a needle. The plate is then immersed in acid, which bites into the exposed metal lines. The longer the plate remains in the acid, the deeper and wider the lines become. In this case, the artist has carefully rendered the formal garden design through a complex network of lines. The controlled and precise execution of the etched lines mimics the manicured forms of the garden itself. The amount of time and labor involved in creating the print reflects the resources and leisure associated with the aristocratic lifestyle it depicts. The print acts as a testament to both the artistry of the printmaker and the wealth required to maintain such an elaborate garden. The artwork's meaning resides in the convergence of materials, technique, and the social context it represents, blurring the boundaries between art and craft.