Portret van Wybrand Hendriks 1820

This is a portrait of Wybrand Hendriks, made by Jacob Ernst Marcus using etching and engraving techniques. The dense network of lines, created by carefully incising the metal plate, are evidence of the printmaker’s skill. Look closely, and you can see the subtle variations in line weight and density, which give the portrait its sense of depth and volume. The etching process would have involved coating a metal plate with a waxy substance, drawing the image through the wax, and then immersing the plate in acid. The acid would bite into the metal where the wax had been removed, creating the lines that would hold the ink. Further refined with engraving tools, the whole process speaks to the handcraft involved in printmaking before industrialization. Prints like these circulated widely, connecting people through images, and this one is a powerful reminder of the labour and skill involved in pre-industrial image-making. Recognizing the craft involved encourages us to expand our understanding of art history.