Medaillons met portretten van Demosthenes, Cicero, Demetrius van Phalerum, en Marcus Antonius 1789 - 1809

Reinier Vinkeles created this print, "Medaillons met portretten," using etching and engraving techniques. The image meticulously renders the texture and form of classical portrait medallions. Etching involves coating a metal plate with a waxy, acid-resistant substance, then scratching an image into it. The plate is then immersed in acid, which bites into the exposed metal, creating lines. Engraving, on the other hand, is the practice of incising a design onto a hard, flat surface by cutting grooves into it. Both techniques require careful labor and control to achieve the precision we see here. The quality of the lines speaks to Vinkeles's mastery. Prints like this one allowed for the wide distribution of classical imagery, fueling the Neoclassical movement and shaping aesthetic tastes across Europe. This was essential to the development of period styles, and the fashion for classical antiquity that characterized the late 1700s. Considering the materials and processes behind this print reminds us that art is always tied to its means of production, and its social context.