Portret van Adam Oehlenschläger 1815 - 1868

This is a portrait of Adam Oehlenschläger, made by Hans Rudolf Rahn using engraving techniques. Consider the nature of engraving, a printmaking process where an image is incised onto a metal plate. The artist would have used a tool called a burin to carve lines into the plate's surface. These lines hold ink, which is then transferred to paper under high pressure, creating the final print. The precision required speaks to the engraver’s skill, while the resulting image—reproducible many times over—highlights the growing importance of mass production in the 19th century. This mode of production made portraits and other images accessible to a broader audience, moving away from unique, hand-painted likenesses available only to the elite. So, as you look at this detailed print, remember that it's not just an image of a man. It’s a testament to the changing landscape of art, labor, and consumption. It asks us to reconsider what we value in an artwork, and what we consider to be skilled craft.