Portret van Antoine Perrenot de Granvelle 1682

Nicolas de Larmessin the First made this portrait of Antoine Perrenot de Granvelle, using engraving, a printmaking technique, sometime in the 17th century. Engraving involves using a tool called a burin to carve lines directly into a metal plate, which is then inked and printed, transferring the image to paper. The fineness of the lines, the way they describe light and shadow - all of that depends on the artist’s hand and the controlled resistance of the metal. Look closely, and you can see the subtle textures and gradations achieved through this painstaking process. Engraving has a long history, dating back to the 15th century, but it really took off with the rise of print culture. It allowed for the mass production of images, spreading ideas and information far and wide. In a way, the very nature of engraving, with its emphasis on precision and repetition, mirrors the burgeoning capitalist system of the time. It's a reminder that even seemingly simple techniques can be deeply intertwined with broader economic and social forces.