Geitenhoeder met geiten c. 1611 - 1732

This print, Goatherd with Goats, was created by Boëtius Adamsz. Bolswert using an engraving technique. It shows a goatherd playing a pipe, with a herd of goats grazing around him. The engraving process is what gives the image its character. The artist would have used a tool called a burin to carve lines into a copper plate. Ink would then be applied to the plate, and wiped off the surface, remaining only in the carved lines. The plate is then pressed onto paper, transferring the image. The fineness of the lines, and the density with which they are laid, determines the tonal range of the print. The printmaking process meant this image could be reproduced many times. It speaks to a developing culture of visual communication, and the increasing availability of images to a wider audience. The image evokes an idealised view of rural life, but think about the labor involved in creating and distributing such images. It makes us question who had access to them, and how this shaped their perception of work and leisure.