Gezicht op kasteel de Fransenburg te Nijbroek 1737 - 1792

John Greenwood made this print of the Fransenburg Castle in Nijbroek using etching, sometime in the 18th century. The image is built entirely from tiny lines incised into a metal plate. It’s a skilled, laborious process requiring the artist to cover a metal plate with a waxy, acid-resistant substance, and then draw through it with a sharp needle, exposing the metal underneath. The plate is then immersed in acid, which bites into the exposed lines, creating grooves. Ink is applied into these grooves, the surface wiped clean, and the image is printed onto paper under high pressure. The result is a landscape rendered with remarkable detail and tonal variation. The texture of the trees, the stone walls, and the cloudy sky are all carefully evoked, lending the scene a sense of depth and atmosphere. In its time, this printmaking method was at the intersection of art and industry. Each one of these landscapes was identical, a miniature commodity. So, although this print is a lovely memento of a particular place, it’s also an artifact of a changing world.