Portret van Karel XIV Johan van Zweden 1813

This print of Charles John, Crown Prince of Sweden, was made by Charles Turner using a process called mezzotint, a printmaking technique that relies on the manipulation of the plate's surface to create tonal variations. Mezzotint is an intaglio process, like etching or engraving, but instead of lines, the image is created by carefully burnishing and scraping a roughened metal plate. The darkest areas are left rough, while smoother areas hold less ink, resulting in lighter tones. It’s painstaking. In this portrait, the mezzotint technique lends a rich, velvety quality to the shadows and subtle gradations in the prince's face and uniform. The textures, from the intricate embroidery to the smooth skin, are carefully rendered through the manipulation of the plate's surface. The production of mezzotints like this involved skilled labor and specialized tools, reflecting the hierarchies of artistic production. Yet, mezzotint was also a commercially viable medium, used for reproducing portraits and other images for a wider audience, blurring the lines between art and craft.