Portret van August Sterk 1794

This is Reinier Vinkeles's 'Portret van August Sterk', made with etching and burin sometime before the artist’s death in 1816. These processes involve physically cutting into a metal plate, inking it, and then using a press to transfer the image onto paper. Look closely and you'll see how the qualities of line determine everything in this portrait, from the sitter's features to the texture of his wig. The intricate cross-hatching is not only a visual effect, but a record of the intense labor that went into making this image. Such prints were relatively democratic, allowing images to circulate widely – but it's worth remembering the skilled work, almost a kind of miniature industry, that lay behind their production. In Vinkeles's time, printmaking was often seen as a 'lesser' art form than painting or sculpture. But considering the virtuosity and cultural importance of prints like this, perhaps it’s time we rethink those old hierarchies.