Portret van Barbara Coventry c. 1765 - 1770

This is a portrait of Barbara Coventry, made by James Watson around 1770 using a technique called mezzotint. Unlike etching or engraving, where lines are incised into a plate, mezzotint is about creating tone. Look closely, and you'll see that the entire surface of the copper plate would have been roughened first, using a tool called a rocker. If printed at this stage, it would produce a solid black field. The artist then burnishes and scrapes areas of the plate to varying degrees, to create lighter tones. This is skilled, painstaking work, requiring great control. Watson was one of the leading practitioners of this labor-intensive process. The appeal was that it could emulate the textures and tonal range of oil paint, and therefore reproduce paintings for a wider audience. In this way, mezzotints played a key role in the art market of the 18th century. Think of them as the fine art print of their day, a clever blend of craft and commerce.