Portret van Lodewijk XIV, koning van Frankrijk, met strik in een ovale omlijsting met lelies 1672 - 1678

Pieter van Schuppen created this print of Louis XIV in the 17th century. It is made with engraving, a painstaking process where the image is incised into a metal plate, then inked and pressed onto paper. Think about the labor involved. Each line, each shadow, is the result of a physical act, a transfer of energy from the artist’s hand to the copper and then onto the page. The crisp, precise lines create a striking contrast between light and dark, a testament to the engraver’s skill. The very act of reproducing the King’s likeness was political. Engraving was also a commercial medium; prints like this were relatively affordable and served to disseminate imagery, standardize taste, and reinforce social hierarchies. While Louis XIV is shown here in armor, emphasizing his power and status, the print itself, made by hand through an intensive skilled process, speaks to the growing cultural and economic forces that would ultimately challenge the king's reign. Considering the materiality and modes of production invites us to look beyond the surface of representation and consider the broader social context in which art is made and consumed.