Reproductie van een gravure naar het schilderij The beautiful duchess door Joshua Reynolds before 1871

This is a reproduction of a painting by Joshua Reynolds, made into an engraving by Godfrey Wordsworth Turner. Engraving is an intaglio process, meaning that the image is cut into a surface, in this case a metal plate, and then filled with ink to be printed. The fine lines that define the forms in this print showcase the engraver’s skilled hand, and the textures and tones are achieved through carefully placed marks and controlled pressure, all requiring precision and control. In Turner’s time, the circulation of images was more dependent on engravings such as this than photography, which was just beginning to come into widespread use. So, this image embodies the social and technological changes that affected modes of production and distribution. By understanding the materials and processes of image making, we see how it reflects the changing times and prevailing artistic tastes.