Tast 1576 - 1580

Editor: Here we have Hendrick Goltzius's "Tast," an engraving dating back to sometime between 1576 and 1580. It looks incredibly detailed. What particularly strikes me is the almost photographic quality, considering the limitations of the printmaking process at that time. How would you approach an analysis of this work? Curator: For me, it begins with understanding the materials and methods that shaped this image. Look at the burin work, the very act of carving into the metal plate. Each line, each dot represents physical labor. The "Tast" in the title is connected to physical sensation. Can you see how the rendering of the female figure connects with that? Editor: You mean, the sensuality? The figure is nude, and there's an emphasis on her form. But what about the snake wrapped around her arm and the spiderweb behind her? Curator: Precisely! Those elements speak to a broader system of iconography and meaning-making. Snakes could represent temptation or healing, spiderwebs danger. We should also consider where the copper and ink come from to create this print and how they fit into existing trading relationships. Editor: So you're saying the materials themselves, the method of creating the print, and where it circulated—they all inform our understanding of the piece as much as the imagery? Curator: Absolutely. Look at the details, like the rendering of light and shadow. Think of how long each image takes and the implied patronage that enabled Goltzius to produce work of such sophistication and artistic prowess. We must also think of the market for these engravings and for what purpose were they made. What kind of consumers were in mind during its process? Editor: I hadn't considered the implications of the patronage before! This really opens up a different perspective, seeing the work as an end product, made possible by specific processes and social systems. I will never see this work again as just lines in ink. Curator: Indeed. I agree wholeheartedly with you!