Portret van Grizel Stanhope

This mezzotint portrait of Grizel Stanhope was made by James McArdell sometime before his death in 1765. Mezzotint is a printmaking process that relies on texture. The plate is roughened evenly to hold ink, and then burnished smooth in certain areas to create an image in subtle gradations of tone. The technique was well suited to portraiture, because it could capture the soft, luminous quality of skin and fabric. Here, McArdell has used it to great effect, rendering the fine lace of Grizel's cap and the plush fur trim of her gown. While mezzotint allowed for a remarkable level of detail, the method was labor intensive. The tools needed to create a mezzotint, such as the rocker and burnisher, demanded careful control and a high degree of skill. Though often overlooked in favor of painting, printmaking such as this represents a significant arena of artistic expertise. It also opens interesting questions about the value we place on different kinds of labor, and their relation to social status.