Lodewijk XII ondersteunt de Kerk 1729 - 1733

Dominique Sornique made this print, Lodewijk XII ondersteunt de Kerk, sometime in the 18th century using etching and engraving. It’s a good example of how the graphic arts can convey political messages. The print shows the Church, personified as a woman seated under a vaulted arch. She is being supported by Louis XII, shown here helping to prop up a tottering column. What I find interesting here is the way that Sornique used the graphic medium to suggest weight and mass. Look at the keystone of the arch, or the column Louis is steadying. These are rendered in careful detail, which gives them a convincing, almost architectural presence. This wasn’t just a demonstration of the etcher’s skill. The choice of medium speaks to its moment, when printmaking was a primary means of circulating ideas. By combining craft and political commentary, Sornique made an argument for the importance of both.