Head of a Young Black Boy in Profile to the Right 1645

Wenceslaus Hollar made this print, "Head of a Young Black Boy in Profile to the Right," in 1645. It's an etching, meaning Hollar used acid to bite lines into a metal plate, which was then inked and printed. Look closely, and you can see how the density of lines creates the tonal range. This wasn't just a technical exercise for Hollar. The print participates in the history of representing people of African descent in European art. The evenness of tone and the detail of the face show us that Hollar was interested in the individuality of his sitter. The very act of portraying this young man with such care elevates his status, in a time of slavery and racial prejudice. The work makes us think about labor too; the labor of the young man, who may have been working as a servant, and the labor of the artist, carefully rendering his likeness. This is not just an artwork, but a document of social relations.