Lot verlaat met zijn dochters het brandende Sodom c. 1551

Cornelis Bos made this engraving of Lot Fleeing Sodom with His Daughters sometime in the 16th century. You can see the stark lines created by the artist's use of the burin to cut into a copper plate, each line carefully considered. The artist then applies ink to the plate, carefully wipes the surface, and transfers the image onto paper using a printing press. Consider the labor involved, from the mining and refining of the metals to the skilled hand required for the engraving. Here, the material becomes a vehicle for illustrating the biblical story, using the incisive lines to depict dramatic flight from the city in flames. The printmaking medium itself facilitated the wide distribution of images and ideas, as it could be reproduced multiple times; and the story of Lot, with its themes of destruction and salvation, circulated widely through the medium of print. It serves as a reminder that the meaning of the artwork is always rooted in the context of its making, in its materials, and in the social landscape of its time.