Oprichting van de koperen slang 1566

This is Pieter van der Heyden’s “Oprichting van de koperen slang”, or "Raising of the Copper Serpent", made in the mid-16th century using engraving. It's an image created not with traditional fine art materials like paint or clay, but through the careful and meticulous cutting of lines into a copper plate. Consider the labor involved: each line, each shadow, is the result of a deliberate act of craftsmanship. The image's monochrome quality and finely wrought details speak to the nature of the engraved line. Look closely, and you can see the incredible detail. The figures in the biblical scene are surrounded by elaborate ornamentation. All of this ornamentation would need to have been conceived, then realized. Van der Heyden clearly engaged with skilled traditions, bringing an engraver’s precision to a design that would originally have been used for reproduction. His work challenges distinctions between high art and craft, inviting us to appreciate the artistry embedded in its making.