Portret van Willem III, koning der Nederlanden 1852

This is Johann Wilhelm Kaiser’s portrait of Willem III, King of the Netherlands, made using engraving, a printmaking technique. Engraving is an intaglio process. The artist uses a tool called a burin to carve lines directly into a metal plate, typically copper. Ink is then applied to the plate, filling the carved lines. The surface is wiped clean, and the print is made by pressing paper against the plate with considerable force, usually by a machine. This allows for highly detailed and precise imagery, like you see here. Engraving demands a high degree of skill and control, because it's a slow and meticulous process. The engraver has to consider the pressure applied to the burin, the angle of the cut, and the direction of the line. The resulting print, like this portrait, can then be reproduced, satisfying a growing demand for images in an increasingly industrialized society. Think about how the skilled labor involved in producing this image contrasts with the mass production it enables. It really makes you consider the relationship between art, labor, and the rise of capitalism.