Gezicht op Kelangh (Formosa), 1664 1670

This print, ‘Gezicht op Kelangh (Formosa)’, was made in 1664 by an anonymous artist. It’s an etching, meaning the image was incised into a metal plate, likely copper, with acid. The material qualities of the print – its fineness of line, its capacity to reproduce an image multiple times – are key to understanding its original function. This wasn't a unique, precious object; it was meant for distribution, offering Europeans a glimpse of distant lands and colonial outposts. The very act of etching, a relatively efficient method of image production, speaks to the burgeoning era of global trade and exploration. Consider the labor involved: the skilled hand of the etcher translating a scene into a precise network of lines, the press operator churning out copies, and the merchants who would disseminate these images. This print is a product of its time, enmeshed in the social and economic currents of 17th-century colonialism. It reminds us that even seemingly simple images can be rich with historical meaning, when we look closely at their making.