Man en vrouw in een omsloten tuin 1617

Crispijn van de Passe the Younger made this engraving, “Man en vrouw in een omsloten tuin”, which translates to “Man and woman in an enclosed garden”. The copperplate engraving process itself involved meticulous labor. The artist would have used a sharp tool called a burin to carve lines directly into a copper plate. This technique allowed for very fine detail, visible here in the intricate patterns of the garden, the texture of the plants, and the clothing of the figures. Each print required inking the plate and running it through a press, transferring the image to paper. Beyond the technical skill, the image itself speaks to social context. Gardens like this were status symbols, expressions of wealth and control over nature. The enclosed space suggests privacy and exclusivity, enjoyed by a privileged class. This print makes that lifestyle accessible, at least visually, to a wider audience. The beauty and significance of this work lie not only in its artistic merit but also in the labor-intensive process of its creation and its connection to the social and economic realities of the time.