Armand de Bourbon, prince de Conti 1629 - 1666

This is Claude Mellan’s portrait of Armand de Bourbon, Prince de Conti, made with engraving on paper. Look closely, and you'll notice something unique about Mellan's technique. He used only one line, a continuous spiraling groove incised into the copperplate, to create the entire image. The varying width and density of this single line define the Prince’s features, clothing, and the surrounding space. Think about the labor involved: each subtle shift in tone required absolute control and hours of meticulous work. But this wasn't just technical wizardry. Mellan was making a statement about artistic skill itself. In a time when printmaking was often seen as a reproductive craft, he elevated it to the level of fine art. The choice of engraving, a process demanding precision and control, perfectly mirrors the rigid social hierarchies of the time. Mellan’s virtuosity and the unique qualities of the print draw our attention to the connection between artistic skill, social status, and the very act of image-making itself.