François-Michel Le Tellier, marquis de Louvois 1650 - 1700

This print of François-Michel Le Tellier, Marquis de Louvois, was made by Antoine Masson using the technique of engraving. Lines are incised into a copper plate, which is then inked and printed. The nature of engraving, with its precise, repeatable lines, is critical to understanding the image. Look closely and you’ll see that the entire composition is built from a dense network of marks. The artist skillfully controlled the burin to capture not only the Marquis’s likeness, but also the textures and patterns of his clothing. Engraving like this was a decidedly commercial process. Prints like this one could be reproduced in multiples, allowing for the wide dissemination of the Marquis’s image. This speaks volumes about the status of the man and the society for which the print was made. Ultimately, appreciating the labor-intensive nature of engraving gives us a deeper insight into the social and economic context surrounding the image. It challenges the idea of the artist as a solitary genius, and highlights the collaborative nature of art production in early modern Europe.