Portret van Jane Stanhope met haar twee kinderen 1738 - 1815

Francesco Bartolozzi created this print of Jane Stanhope and her children using an engraving technique. The image is not drawn, but carved. The artist uses a tool called a burin to create a network of tiny lines in a copper plate, which are then filled with ink and pressed onto paper. Bartolozzi was a master printmaker, known for his ability to translate paintings into prints. Note how the linear nature of the engraving technique lends itself well to the depiction of textiles, like the folds of Jane’s dress, which would have taken time and resources to make and maintain. Prints like this one were not considered fine art in the same way as paintings, but they were an important part of visual culture. They made images more widely available, and helped to spread ideas about fashion, beauty, and social status. Appreciating the skilled labor involved in their production encourages us to rethink traditional distinctions between art and craft.