Buste van lachende boer 1778 - 1838

Anthonie van den Bos created this small monochrome etching of a laughing farmer, probably in the late 18th or early 19th century. Etching is an indirect method of engraving, allowing for softer lines and subtler tonal variations than direct methods. The plate, likely copper, would have been coated in wax, and the design scratched through it with a needle. The plate is then immersed in acid, which bites into the exposed metal, creating recessed lines. Ink is applied, the surface wiped clean, and the print taken. The quick, light lines speak to the ease of the technique. But it's the social context that really enriches our understanding. The image of the laughing farmer, produced through this printmaking technique, speaks to both the celebration and potential exploitation of rural labor. It is through the labor of the laughing farmer that resources are produced, yet the etching medium emphasizes a distance between subject and viewer.