William, Count of Nassau, Prince of Orange 1581

This is Hendrick Goltzius’s engraving of William, Count of Nassau, Prince of Orange, made in 1581. The image is not painted or sculpted but etched into a metal plate, likely copper, using acid to bite into the surface, and then printed. Consider the labor involved in this process. First, the engraver had to be a skilled draughtsman, capable of translating three dimensions into a linear design. Then, the image had to be carved in reverse with absolute precision. Finally, each print requires the application of ink and the use of a printing press. Printmaking in the early modern period was not just a craft, but an industry. It allowed for the mass production of images, and the dissemination of ideas. Engravings like this one helped to forge the very idea of the “celebrity” and the cult of personality. This portrait, though small in scale, is a potent example of how materials and making can be harnessed for political ends, well beyond the traditional boundaries of fine art.