Portret van Amedeus III van Savoye 1702

Pierre François Giffart created this portrait of Amedeus III of Savoy as an engraving. This meant cutting lines into a metal plate, inking it, and pressing it onto paper. The starkness of the engraved line throws the depicted details into sharp relief: the fur trim of Amedeus’s helmet, its lion-head visor, and the flowing text at the base of the image. Giffart’s skill as an engraver captures the minute details of these surfaces, giving the print a crisp, almost tactile quality. Engraving was a highly skilled, time-consuming process. Its association with luxury is clear: this print would have required the labor of a trained artist, not to mention the cost of materials like metal, ink, and high-quality paper. And its subject, Amedeus, is literally cast in the armor of nobility. The artwork serves as a testament to the enduring power of craft to reflect the social and economic realities of its time.