Portret van Charles Rollin 1700 - 1800

Jacques Charles Bar created this portrait of Charles Rollin, likely sometime in the 18th century, using the technique of engraving. The intricate lines you see are not drawn directly; instead, they're incised into a metal plate, probably copper, with a tool called a burin. This is painstaking work, requiring tremendous skill and control. The plate would then be inked, and the surface wiped clean, leaving ink only in the incised lines. When pressed onto paper, it creates the image we see. Consider the labor involved in this process. The engraver had to be both artist and artisan, mastering a complex set of skills. And this wasn't simply about replicating an image; it was about translating likeness into a language of lines, capturing the essence of Charles Rollin through the burin's precise movements. Engraving was a key technology for disseminating information and images in its day, a precursor to photography. So, in looking at this portrait, we're seeing not just an individual, but also a whole world of skilled labor, technical innovation, and the social circulation of knowledge.