Portret van Raden Pacha Prauriro Dirdjo 1830

This is a portrait of Raden Pacha Prauriro Dirdjo, made by Jean Augustin Daiwaille. It's an engraving on paper, a printmaking technique that involves cutting lines into a metal plate, inking the plate, and then pressing paper against it to transfer the image. Engraving allowed for the relatively easy reproduction of images, and the clean lines of the technique give the portrait a formal, almost clinical, quality. Consider the social context: this portrait was made at a time when European powers were expanding their colonial reach. The act of creating and distributing such images played a role in shaping perceptions of individuals and cultures, and engravings like this helped to disseminate knowledge, or what passed as knowledge, about different parts of the world. The labor involved in the production of the portrait is also noteworthy, from the skilled hand of the engraver to the networks of distribution that brought the image to a wider audience. By considering the materials, processes, and context of production, we can gain a deeper understanding of the work's historical and cultural significance, and challenge the traditional divide between art and craft.