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People in China had been making prints for centuries before the first crude print appeared in Europe in 1400. By the time this engraving was made, European artists had nearly 100 years to perfect their printmaking craft. This engraving has the delicate shading, rich shadows and clear highlights of a sensitive drawing.

Harpocrates was the Greek god of silence, and in Greek art, he was shown as a small child with his finger to his lips. The gesture of putting a finger to one's lips is still used today as a universal request for silence. Jan Harmensz Muller has transformed Harpocrates into an ugly old hag with a message. With his headdress pushed up to expose an ear, Harpocrates looks out at us between the Latin inscription at the top and bottom of the print, which translates into this advice: "If you don't learn to keep silent, you will speak of what you don't know."

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