Portret van Hermenegildus de Roxas 1669

This print of Hermenegildus de Roxas was made by Nicolas Auroux in the late 17th century. The medium is engraving, a process by which lines are incised into a metal plate, which is then inked and printed. The quality of a print hinges on the engraver’s skill. Notice the variety of marks Auroux used to build up the image: long parallel lines for the background, shorter hatched strokes for the face. The labor required to create such a detailed image was considerable; it took time to develop such a high degree of proficiency. Prints like this one were often made for circulation in books, and were a vital means of disseminating images before photography. They demonstrate the democratization of portraiture during this period, making the likenesses of important people accessible to a wider public. Auroux's print is a testament to the enduring power of skilled handwork in a world increasingly shaped by mechanical reproduction.