Portret van een onbekende man 1549 - 1584

This is an engraving on paper, a portrait of an unknown man, made by an anonymous artist. Engraving is an intaglio process. The artist would have used a tool called a burin to cut lines into a metal plate, likely copper. The plate would then be inked, and the surface wiped clean, leaving ink only in the incised lines. Damp paper would be laid on top, and run through a press with great pressure, transferring the ink to the paper. Look closely, and you can see the crisp, precise lines that are characteristic of this technique. The way the lines are grouped creates tone and volume, defining the man's features and the folds of his clothing. This was a meticulous, highly skilled process, requiring years of training. The resulting prints could be reproduced multiple times, making images more widely available. This little portrait gives us insight into the labor and skill involved in early printmaking, and its role in disseminating images and ideas. It prompts us to think about the value of craft in a world increasingly shaped by mass production.