Portret van Jacobus I, koning van Engeland 1715 - 1766

John Faber the Younger created this mezzotint portrait of Jacobus I, King of England. It presents us with a study in contrasts—dark clothing offset by the bright, almost aggressively ruffled collar that frames the King's face. The texture, achieved through the mezzotint technique, adds a tactile quality, a play of light and shadow that animates the figure. Consider how Faber uses the semiotic language of portraiture to convey power and status. The trappings of royalty are all here: the elaborate collar, the sash, the royal accoutrements placed just so in the background. Yet, there is also a certain flatness to the image. The King's gaze is direct, but there's a lack of depth, a sense of artifice that belies the very authority the portrait seeks to project. It's in this tension between surface and depth that the work becomes most intriguing. The formal elements—the stark contrasts, the textured surface—don't just depict a king; they invite us to question the very nature of representation and power.