Portret van Matthias Hoë van Hoënegg 1621

This print of Matthias Hoë von Hoënegg was made in Augsburg, Germany, around 1621 by Lucas Kilian, who specialized in this kind of portraiture. It is an engraving, a printmaking process that involves cutting lines into a metal plate, inking the plate, and then transferring the ink to paper under high pressure. The finely rendered details, especially in Hoë von Hoënegg’s face and the elaborate collar, are a testament to Kilian’s skill as a craftsman. Note how the graphic quality of the print is determined entirely by the cuts made into the metal, which create a dense network of lines, precisely controlled to model form and texture. This was an expensive, labor-intensive process, and it speaks to the status of the sitter. Hoë von Hoënegg was a prominent theologian, and the print would have served to disseminate his image, literally impressing his likeness upon the world. So, consider the relationship between the skilled labor of printmaking and the social networks of power at work in early modern Europe.