Portret van George Lee Esqr. 1694 - 1756

This portrait of George Lee was made by John Faber II, sometime around the mid-18th century, using a printmaking technique called mezzotint. Mezzotint is all about tone. The metal plate is systematically roughened to create countless little burrs that hold ink. If printed at this stage, the entire image would be black. The printmaker then burnishes or scrapes away the burrs in certain areas to create lighter tones. It’s a laborious process, working from dark to light, but capable of gorgeously subtle gradations. Notice the soft transitions in Lee’s face and the luxurious textures of his wig and clothing. Mezzotint was particularly prized for its ability to reproduce the textures of fabrics, playing into the consumer culture of the 18th century. But the amount of work involved also made mezzotint prints relatively expensive. The technique thus speaks to a specific social class, one with the money to commission or purchase such images, and the leisure to appreciate the craft involved.