Portret van kardinaal Mazarin 1855 - 1915

This is Friedrich Wilhelm Burmeister’s “Portret van kardinaal Mazarin,” a print made sometime in the 19th or early 20th century. It is comprised of precisely placed fine lines, a testament to the artist's skill. As a medium, printmaking allowed for widespread distribution and visual communication. This portrait of Cardinal Mazarin could be reproduced multiple times, each impression carrying the artist's craftsmanship. The making of prints like this one involved multiple stages, from the initial design to carving the image into the printing plate. The material of the print itself, paper, adds to its significance. Inexpensive and easily produced, the paper made it possible for images of powerful figures to be widely circulated. It is thanks to these processes of material production, as well as the artist’s technical mastery, that we now have this arresting image of Cardinal Mazarin. Appreciating the processes and materials used challenges our preconceptions about artistic value and creative intention.