Portræt af kunstnerens far, medaillør F.C. Krohn 1865

Pietro Kobke Krohn made this portrait of his father, the medallist F.C. Krohn, using etching. The image is formed by lines bitten into a metal plate with acid, then printed, a process that favors detail and texture over broad tonal effects. Here, the elder Krohn is shown in his element, working at his bench. Look closely and you can see the tools of his trade. The etching medium allows us to understand the hard labor that went into minting medals. You see his tools: gravers for carving dies, perhaps a small furnace for melting metal, all rendered with a loving eye for the craft. The print is itself an index of skilled work. The artist's hand guides the etching needle, just as the medallist's shapes the metal. In both cases, the value lies not just in the final result, but in the expertise required to bring it into being. Appreciating this print means recognizing the dignity of labor, and the artistic merit inherent in craft.