Portret van François Du Chesne

This print, now in the Rijksmuseum, was made by Bernard Picart, a French engraver active in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. It depicts François Du Chesne, a historian. Picart was a master of the intaglio process, in which lines are incised into a metal plate, then filled with ink and transferred to paper. The precision and detail evident here speak to Picart's skill with the burin, the engraver's sharp tool. Look closely, and you can see the extraordinary fineness of the lines, which create a rich tonal range. It's important to remember that prints like this were not just artistic expressions, but also commercial products. They were a key means of disseminating information and images in an age before photography. Picart, like many printmakers, was thus both an artist and an entrepreneur, navigating the demands of the market while also showcasing his technical prowess. By attending to the making of this image, we gain insight into the broader social and economic context in which it was produced.