Portret van George I 1670 - 1725

Michiel van der Gucht made this engraving of George 1st, King of Great Britain, sometime around the turn of the 18th Century. But what does it mean to represent a monarch in print? This was an era when the institutions of power were being reimagined. The printing press allowed for images to be circulated in unprecedented numbers. The iconography is complex: the king wears the robes of state and the collar of the Order of the Garter, symbols of dynastic power. Yet this image exists as one of many, mediated through the printmaker’s craft, accessible for purchase. Portraits like these give us insight into the cultural and political conditions that shape artistic production. Researching the print trade and the history of the British monarchy helps us understand the social role of this kind of image.