Portret van Johann Strauch 1679 - 1709

This is Johann Christoph Boecklin's portrait of Johann Strauch, made in the late 17th century. It's an engraving – a print made by incising lines into a metal plate, inking it, and then pressing it onto paper. The image has a crisp, precise quality. Look closely, and you’ll see how Boecklin used carefully placed lines to create areas of light and shadow, building up volume in Strauch’s face and clothing. This printmaking technique allowed for the efficient reproduction of images. Its linear quality and sharp contrast are results of the way the artwork was made. Engravings like this one played a vital role in disseminating information and ideas. They were relatively affordable, making portraits and other imagery accessible to a wider audience. The labor involved in engraving was highly skilled, requiring both artistic talent and technical expertise, reflecting the cultural and economic systems of the time. It represents the intersection of craft, art, and commerce.