Portret van Athanase Auger 1795 - 1805

This print, titled "Portret van Athanase Auger," was created by N.F. Maviez using engraving techniques. The artist has used very thin lines and cross-hatching to build up the tones and details, from the soft folds of Auger’s cloak to the expression on his face. Engraving is a meticulous and time-consuming process. It requires a skilled artisan to cut lines into a metal plate, which is then inked and printed. The precision demanded by this technique speaks to a culture that valued craft and detail. The very act of engraving also had social significance. It was a means of disseminating images and ideas in a pre-photographic era. Prints like this one allowed for the widespread circulation of portraits of prominent figures. Consider too how the lines created by the engraver's tools define and describe the figure, giving form to the ideas of status and identity. This print demonstrates how materials and making processes are not neutral, but carry their own cultural and social weight, challenging our assumptions about the separation of art and craft.