Portret van Mikhail Illarionovich Vorontsov 1758

This is a portrait of Mikhail Illarionovich Vorontsov, made by Georg Friedrich Schmidt using engraving techniques sometime in the 18th century. Engraving demands meticulous skill. The artist carves lines into a metal plate – traditionally copper – with a tool called a burin. This is incredibly labor-intensive, and requires absolute precision; any mistake is hard to correct. The depth and spacing of the lines determine the tones and textures of the final print, and the image is built up slowly, layer by layer. The result, as we see here, is a finely detailed image, with a crispness of line that captures the sitter's likeness and the textures of his clothing. These prints were luxury items in their day, and their production involved a complex system of labor – from the mining of the metal to the printing and distribution of the finished image. Schmidt’s skill elevates the status of his sitter, connecting craft and class in fascinating ways. We can appreciate the tremendous effort required to create this image, and think about how the means of production shaped its meaning and value.