Portret van Karel Felix, koning van Sardinië 1828

This portrait of Charles Felix, King of Sardinia, was made by Johann Friedrich Bolt as an engraving. Consider the intense labor involved in this method of image production. To create this tiny portrait, the artist would have used a tool called a burin to manually cut thousands of tiny lines into a copper plate. Ink is then applied to the plate and wiped off the surface, remaining only in the incised lines. When paper is pressed against the plate, the image is transferred, creating a print. The image’s visual qualities – its sharp lines and tonal gradations – are all a direct result of this meticulous handwork. This was a common method for making images widely available, a distinctly capitalist approach to art making. Though small in scale, this portrait speaks volumes about the relationship between art, labor, and the rise of mass media. Appreciating the craft involved allows us to look beyond the image itself, and understand its broader cultural significance.