Portret van Philip Herbert, graaf van Pembroke, met zijn familie 1740

This print of Philip Herbert, Count of Pembroke, and his family was made by Bernard Baron. The technique here is engraving: a painstaking process of incising lines into a metal plate, inking it, and then pressing it onto paper. Note how the varying depth and density of the lines create areas of light and shadow, bringing the scene to life. Engraving was very important to the economics of the art world, enabling the wide distribution of images. It depended upon highly specialized labor. Think about the amount of time and skill it took to make this image, and then think about the social context of the sitters: this family was among the richest and most powerful people in England. The print is, in a sense, a translation of their elite status into a commodity, one that could be circulated and consumed. So, while this may seem like a straightforward portrait, it's also an object deeply embedded in the world of labor, capital, and status.