Portret van Guillaume du Vair 1666 - 1707

This portrait of Guillaume du Vair was made by Gérard Edelinck, who was born in 1640, and it's an engraving, meaning the image is incised into a flat surface and then printed. Look closely and you can see how the density of lines creates shading and form, bringing the figure to life. Edelinck would have used a tool called a burin to make the cuts, and because it's a subtractive process, it requires immense skill and planning. The ink settles into these lines, transferring the image onto paper when printed. Engraving was a key method for disseminating images and information in the early modern period. It speaks to a growing culture of documentation and dissemination. The labor-intensive nature of engraving highlights the value placed on craft and the importance of skilled artisans in image-making before photography. It collapses the distinction between commercial reproduction and high art.