Portret van Marie-Claire de Créquy, gravin van Jarnac 1819 - 1879

This is Louis Auguste Darodes’s portrait of Marie-Claire de Créquy, gravin van Jarnac, made using engraving. This printmaking process is all about controlled pressure; the artist guides a tool called a burin across a metal plate, incising lines that will hold ink. The plate is then inked, wiped clean, and pressed against paper, transferring the image. The quality of the line depends on the angle of the burin and the force applied. Areas of tone are built up through hatching, cross-hatching, and stippling. Engraving was a highly valued skill and its labor intensive nature made it ideally suited for the detailed reproduction of artworks, thus contributing to their wider distribution. The crisp clarity of the lines lend the image its sense of refinement, reflecting the social status of the sitter. Looking at this print, we can appreciate how technique and material come together to give form to artistic expression and social value.