Moord op de protestanten te Tours, 1562 1570

Jean Perrissin made this print, titled "Massacre of Protestants in Tours, 1562," sometime in the late 16th century using engraving. The printmaking process is fascinating here. An engraver like Perrissin would have used a tool called a burin to manually cut lines into a metal plate, which would then hold ink and transfer the image to paper. The stark black-and-white contrast and precise lines give the scene a dramatic quality, emphasizing the chaos and violence. But consider, too, the labor involved: The artist painstakingly etched each detail, from the terrified faces of the Protestants to the architecture of the town, and the waves in the water. This high degree of craftsmanship and precision elevates printmaking to a significant art form. Ultimately, understanding the materiality and making of this print allows us to appreciate the labor, skill, and artistry involved, challenging any notion that printmaking is somehow lesser than other forms of art.