Portret van Albrecht van Beieren, graaf van Holland, Henegouwen en Zeeland 1725

This portrait of Albrecht van Beieren is an engraving, meaning it was made by carefully incising lines into a metal plate, inking the surface, and then pressing it onto paper. The precision of the medium lent itself to a clear likeness of the Count, and also to a detailed description of his clothing: the fur trim, the texture of the metal armor, and the fall of the cloak. These details don't just tell us about the Count's status, but also about the many specialized trades required to produce these goods. The engraver, who remains unknown, was equally a master of their own process, capable of rendering all this material reality in a few deftly applied marks. By focusing on the ways this print was made, we can appreciate the relationship between craftsmanship, the reproduction of images, and the documentation of power. It underscores the importance of recognizing labor and context when fully understanding an artwork.