Portret van Heinrich Leonhard Schurtzfleisch 1712

This portrait of Heinrich Leonhard Schurtzfleisch was made by Johann Georg Mentzel, likely in the early 18th century, using an engraving technique. Engraving is a printmaking process where an image is incised onto a metal plate, often copper. The incised lines hold ink, and when the plate is pressed against paper, the image transfers. Look closely at the varying line weights and the cross-hatching used to create shadow and form in Schurtzfleisch’s face, wig, and clothing. The engraver needed considerable skill to control the burin, the tool used to cut the lines, to achieve the desired effects. Engraving in this era was not just about artistic expression, but about reproduction and dissemination of information. Portraits like this would have circulated amongst the intellectual and social elite, reinforcing status and connections. Consider the labor involved in creating such a detailed image, and the social context in which it was both produced and consumed. This challenges our traditional notions of fine art, highlighting the vital role of skilled craft in shaping cultural identity.