Portret van Lodewijk Gonzaga, hertog van Nevers en Rethel in een ovale lijst 1642 - 1704

Guillaume Vallet made this portrait of Lodewijk Gonzaga using engraving, a printmaking technique, sometime between 1632 and 1704. Look closely and you can see how the incised lines articulate fine details like Gonzaga’s armor, the texture of his hair, and the lettering around the oval frame. The lines are all carefully placed to create an illusion of three-dimensionality, with the density of the lines creating tonal variation. This print would have been produced by first carving lines into a metal plate, inking the surface, and then using a press to transfer the image onto paper. Consider the labor involved in this skilled process, and the way it allowed for the mass production of images. Engravings like this helped to disseminate Gonzaga's image far and wide, reinforcing his power and status. So next time you look at a print, remember the hands that made it, and the complex social and economic context in which it was created.