Portret van Lodewijk XIV 1650 - 1715

This is Pierre Simon’s portrait of Louis XIV, created using the intaglio printmaking method of engraving. Engraving is an intensive, linear process. Using a tool called a burin, the artist carves lines directly into a metal plate. The deeper the cut, the more ink it holds, and the darker it appears in the print. Simon has expertly modulated the tone of the image in this way, giving shape to the king's luxuriant wig and regal robes. Consider the social context in which this print was made. Louis XIV was a master of image control, understanding the power of visual representation to project authority. Prints like this one were relatively inexpensive to produce and disseminate, allowing the king's image to be widely circulated and consumed. In this way, engraving became a tool of statecraft, reinforcing the king's power through carefully crafted visual propaganda. Prints like this demonstrate how the aesthetics of art are always interwoven with the techniques that make them possible, and the social realities in which they circulate.