Portret van Willem II, prins van Oranje 1749 - 1759

This is an engraving of Willem II, Prince of Orange, made by Jacob Houbraken sometime in the 18th century. Houbraken worked by incising lines into a copper plate, inking it, and then pressing paper against the plate. This process allows for the creation of multiple identical prints, and it was an important technology for disseminating images in early modern Europe. Look closely, and you can see the fine network of lines that define the Prince’s face, hair, and armor. The choice of engraving speaks to the rise of a print culture, where images were no longer unique artistic creations, but could be reproduced and distributed widely. This also reflects a growing market for portraiture, as the rising merchant class sought to emulate the aristocracy by commissioning images of themselves and their families. So, while this image depicts royalty, the means of its production were tied to a much wider social and economic shift.