Portret van Johann Georg Mertz op 38-jarige leeftijd 1698

Leonhard Heckenauer made this portrait of Johann Georg Mertz at age 38, using engraving, sometime around 1670. Engraving is a meticulous printmaking process, where the artist carefully cuts lines into a metal plate. Ink is then applied to the incised lines, and the plate is pressed onto paper. The fineness of the lines here speaks to Heckenauer's mastery of the technique. The image is built up from many tiny marks, a huge amount of skilled work which creates subtle tones and textures. Look closely, and you can see how the quality of the lines defines the textures of skin, hair, and fabric. In this portrait, the material of the print itself signifies value. The printmaking process allowed for wider distribution of images, and a degree of celebrity, but it was still an expensive medium. As such, the artwork underscores Mertz’s status as a man of learning and importance, and a member of the European elite. Considered in this light, the artwork challenges assumptions about the division between fine art and more ‘humble’ graphic techniques.