Portret van Margaretha van Beieren 1650

This portrait of Margaretha van Beieren, made by Cornelis Visscher around the mid-17th century, is not painted on canvas, but rather printed on paper using engraving. Look closely, and you’ll see how Visscher used finely controlled cuts in a metal plate to produce this image, transferring ink to the paper’s surface. The density of lines creates areas of shadow, while leaving the paper blank gives the impression of light. The material qualities of the print, its monochrome palette and delicate details, lend an air of refined elegance befitting the portrait of royalty. Engraving itself was a highly skilled practice, requiring years of training and control over the burin, the tool that incises the metal. But prints, unlike unique paintings, could be reproduced and distributed widely. This reflects the increasing commodification of images in the early modern era. Considering this work as a product of both skilled handcraft and nascent capitalist enterprise invites us to think more deeply about the social contexts of art.