Man at the machine: the mechanism and the body in early Modern printmaking

Abstract

Book and print production represents a crucial milestone on the path toward an industrial society and its visual culture. This article aims to explain the subordinate nature of the depicted body within the compositions of engravings exploring the interaction between mechanism and the human body, using Jacques Besson’s “The Theater of Instruments and Machines” (1570s) and Jacob de Gheyn’s “The Exercise of Armes” (1607) as case studies. These illustrated books can be examined as early forms of visual aids, which necessitates addressing the synthesis of image and word. Focusing on the analyzing the relationships between man, mechanism, engraving, and corporeality, the novelty of this art-historical study lies in identifying that the representation of the human body can serve as a visual marker of changes in the dissemination of knowledge and art production during the early Modern period, allowing for a highly relevant perspective on the selected books. The study demonstrates that the subordinate position of the depicted body is rooted in the functional nature of these prints, combined with their orientation toward the reader-viewer. On the one hand, this was typical for the mass print of that time; on the other hand, it involved the recipient in the flow of knowledge reproduction as part of production and the emerging industrial civilization.

Research materials

1. Altzenbach G. after J. von der Heyden. Fleuch wa du willt, Des todtes bild, Staetz auff dich Zielt // British Museum. Colonge, 1650. https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1876-0510-506
2. Besson J. Il Theatro de gl' instrumenti e machine. Lione – Vincenti: par Barth, 1582. https://doi.org/10.3931/e-rara-6480
3. Fronsperger L. Von Kayserlichem Kriegsrechten, Malefitz und Schuldhändlen, Ordnung und Regiment: Kriegßbuch in 3 th. Frankfurt am Main: Feyerabendt, 1573.
4. Gheyn J. de (II) after H. Goltzius. Officers and Soldiers // National Gallery of Art. 1587. www.nga.gov/artworks/128982-officers-and-soldiers
5. Gheyn J. de. Wapenhandelinghe van Roers Musquetten ende Spiessen: Achtervolghende de Ordre van Sÿn Excellentie Maurits Prince van Orangie... Amsterdam, 1607.
6. Petrarca F. Hülff, Trost und Rath in allem anligen der Menschen. Frankfurt am Main: Christian Egenolffs Erben, 1559. Bl. XXXVIIIr.

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About this article

Publication history

• Received: August 18, 2026.
• Published: August 31, 2026.

Keywords

• европейская гравюра раннего Нового времени
• Жак Бессон
• Якоб де Гейн
• эволюция наглядного пособия XVI-XVII вв
• телесность и механизм в гравюре
• early Modern European engraving
• Jacques Besson
• Jacob de Gheyn
• evolution of visual aids in the 16th-17th centuries
• corporeality and mechanism in engraving

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