Shepherd with a Platerspiel c. 1500 - 1515

Benedetto Montagna created this tiny print, Shepherd with a Platerspiel, using the etching process. A metal plate would have been coated with wax, then the artist used a fine needle to scratch an image into the wax. The plate was then submerged in acid, which bit into the exposed metal, creating an image that could be printed. The method is critical here. While a drawing can be made and remade freely, the etched line is permanent. Note the closely packed lines used to create the shadows around the shepherd. The artist also used hatching techniques to add depth to the landscape. Etching allowed for the relatively easy reproduction of images, which democratized artmaking, making it more widely accessible and impacting on the ways in which art was consumed. The amount of labor required to create a series of prints also speaks to broader issues of production and the changing role of the artist in society.