Twee jonge geleerden in een bibliotheek, in cartouche 1741 - 1820

Abraham Delfos made this tiny print, “Two Young Scholars in a Library, in Cartouche,” sometime in the 18th century, using a technique called etching. An etcher painstakingly draws into a waxy ground on a metal plate. The plate is then bathed in acid, which bites away the exposed lines. After removing the wax and inking the plate, it’s ready for printing. Look closely, and you'll notice how the linear quality of etching gives a real sense of detail to the scene, from the crammed bookshelves to the cherubic figures in the foreground. While ostensibly a fine art, printmaking has always had a complex relationship to labor and commerce. Etchings like this one were relatively inexpensive to produce and purchase. The many extant impressions are testaments to the increased commodification of art in the 18th century. Delfos likely made this to be bound in a book, or sold as a cheap, separate print. So, think of this small, charming print as a product of artistic skill, but also of an increasingly accessible marketplace.