Portret van Karel van Frankrijk, hertog van Berry 1698

This is a portrait of Charles, Duke of Berry, by Gérard Edelinck, made using engraving. This is an intaglio process, where lines are incised into a metal plate, and then filled with ink to make a print. Look closely, and you’ll see the remarkable precision that Edelinck brought to this demanding process. Each line had to be carefully considered to create tonality and texture. The Duke's luxuriant hair, lace collar, and embroidered jacket must have taken hours upon hours. Engraving like this was a luxury trade, requiring not only artistic skill but also the expensive equipment to prepare and print the plates. It was a highly skilled labor that elevated the status of the sitter. By focusing on the material and the making, we can see that this portrait is not just an image, but a testament to skill, labor, and social status, blurring the lines between craft and fine art.