Portret van Hendrick Heuck 1654 - 1677

This print of Hendrick Heuck, by G. Wingendorp, is made with etching – an indirect process that uses acid to bite lines into a metal plate. The relatively small scale suggests that this wasn't a unique artwork, but rather one of many impressions, made for circulation. The sharp lines and textural hatching that define Heuck's face, hair, and ornate borders evidence the skilled hand that created this image. The print medium gave Wingendorp the ability to produce images quickly, which could be bought and sold relatively cheaply. Prints like this one played an important role in early modern Europe, serving as a means of spreading images of wealth and power across geographical boundaries. So, while we might be impressed by the detail of the print, we should also see it as a distinctly commercial object, made possible by new technologies and networks of exchange. The true subject here isn't just Hendrick Heuck, but the dawn of mass visual culture.