Princess Amelia 1790

This print of Princess Amelia was made by Francesco Bartolozzi, who lived from 1728 to 1815. It is made using a technique called stipple engraving, where tiny dots are etched into a metal plate, which is then inked and pressed onto paper. The stipple engraving creates subtle gradations of light and shadow, giving a soft, almost painterly quality to the image. The texture of the print is created through a laborious process. Bartolozzi would have used a tool called a roulette or a rocker to create the myriad tiny dots on the plate. These tools allowed for a variety of marks, capturing the delicate textures of skin, hair, and fabric. Consider the labor involved in creating such an image, and its place in a market eager for likenesses of the aristocracy. This was the age of mechanical reproduction, but still relied on highly skilled hands. The print exists at the intersection of craft, design, and materiality, blurring the lines between different artistic traditions.