Portret van Johann von Besser vastgehouden door de personificatie van Welsprekendheid 1732

This print, currently held in the Rijksmuseum, was made by Christian Fritzsch, likely in the mid-18th century. It's an engraving, a process involving meticulously incising lines into a metal plate, inking it, and then pressing paper against it to transfer the image. The material—a copper plate—is crucial here. The burin’s cut into the metal allows for extraordinary detail, seen in the textures of the fabrics, the details of the heraldry, and the elaborate wig of Johann von Besser. Engraving was a highly skilled trade, demanding years of apprenticeship. Fritzsch would have been part of a network of artisans, producing images for a growing print market. The labor-intensive process elevated the status of the sitter, Johann von Besser. Every line speaks to hours of focused work, transforming base metal into an object of status. Ultimately, this print isn’t just an image; it's a testament to the convergence of artistic skill, material properties, and the social hierarchies of its time.