Luipaard, wild zwijn en twee honden

Nicolaes de Bruyn made this engraving of a leopard, wild boar, and two dogs sometime before his death in 1656. The controlled precision of engraving allowed de Bruyn to render the scene in astonishing detail. Look closely, and you will see how the system of hatching and cross-hatching defines the forms, creating light and shadow. Each tiny line is meticulously incised into the copper plate, and then the plate is inked and printed. The result is a crisp, almost clinical image, despite its wild subject matter. The sharp definition that engraving provides would have appealed to the scientific and mercantile culture of the Netherlands at this time. A culture in which close observation and accurate recording were highly valued, as was the skilled labor required to produce such an exquisite print. Considering the care taken in its making, we can appreciate this print not just as an image, but as a testament to the craft and the values of its time.