Portret van Gottfried Immanuel Wenzel 1785 - 1846

This portrait of Gottfried Immanuel Wenzel was made by Caspar Weinrauch, most likely in the late 18th or early 19th century. It's an engraving, a printmaking technique where the artist cuts lines into a metal plate, applies ink, and then transfers the image onto paper. The precision of the engraved lines gives the portrait a crisp, formal quality, perfectly suited to depicting a man of Wenzel's status. Look at the fine details in the face, the hair, and the clothing – all achieved through painstaking labor. Each line had to be carved by hand, a time-consuming process that speaks to the value placed on craftsmanship. The marks of labor are embedded in the image itself. Engravings like this were often commissioned as a way to disseminate images of important people. They reflect a society where image-making was tied to social status and political power. So, next time you encounter an engraving, remember that it's not just an image, but also a record of skill, labor, and social context.