Reproductie van een ets van een portret van Bonaventura Peeters door Wenceslaus Hollar before 1877

This is a reproduction of an etching of Bonaventura Peeters by Joseph Maes, likely made in the late 19th century. Etching is an intaglio printmaking technique, using acid to create lines in a metal plate. Here, we see a copy of Wenceslaus Hollar’s original portrait, likely made to circulate Peeters’s image among a wider audience, and to be collected in albums. The dense cross-hatching and fine lines create subtle tonal variations and texture, particularly in the rendering of Peeters’s clothing and hair. The etching process requires careful labor and skill, as the artist must control the depth and width of the etched lines to achieve the desired effect. This print is a clear example of how a handmade process could be used to reproduce images on a small scale, well before the advent of photography. By understanding the labor and skill involved in the etching process, we can begin to appreciate the role of printmaking in disseminating knowledge and culture, challenging traditional distinctions between fine art and craft.