Portret van Jacques Godefroy 1752 - 1806

This is Nicolas Joseph Voyez’s portrait of Jacques Godefroy, made with engraving techniques. This process involves cutting lines into a metal plate, which are then filled with ink and transferred to paper. The material of the plate and the paper support are critical here; the fineness of the lines, the textures created, and the very possibility of editioning the image all depend on their interaction. Engraving was a process deeply entwined with commerce, used for everything from banknotes to book illustrations. Portraits like this one occupied a middle ground, between individualized likeness and mass production. Voyez’s skill lies in his ability to render a likeness of Godefroy through a precise handling of line. The formal pose and the engraved inscription below contribute to its status as a kind of printed artifact. Remember, every line you see here was physically cut into the metal, a testament to the engraver's labor and expertise. When we consider these aspects, the boundary between the fine and applied arts blurs.