Portret van Luise Adelgunde Victoria Gottsched 1757

This is an engraving of Luise Adelgunde Victoria Gottsched, made by Johann Martin Bernigeroth in 1747. An engraving is a printmaking process. The artist would have used a tool called a burin to carve lines into a metal plate, which would then be inked and used to create the print. The precision of the engraving technique allows for incredible detail, visible here in the rendering of Gottsched’s elaborate gown and powdered wig. The controlled, repetitive labor involved in engraving contrasts with the opulence and leisure the portrait seeks to convey. Consider the social context: engraving was a key technology for disseminating images and information in the 18th century, serving both artistic and commercial purposes. The format of a printed portrait made it more widely accessible, contributing to the subject's public persona, and the status of the artist who made it. In this way, even a ‘fine art’ portrait like this one is deeply enmeshed with the modes of production.