Portret van Madame du Barry 1873 - 1894

This is Henri Felix Vion’s portrait of Madame du Barry, created using etching and drypoint. The velvety blacks and delicate grays are a direct result of the artist’s manipulation of the copper plate. Think about the labor involved: carefully drawing the image with a sharp needle, biting the plate with acid, and then printing it, one impression at a time. Vion has worked the surface to catch the light, bringing out the texture of her luxurious garments. The drypoint technique, with its characteristic burr, gives a soft, almost atmospheric quality to the image, particularly noticeable in the shadows and around the edges of the figure. The marks left behind are a direct index of the artist’s hand and physical effort. Paying attention to the materials and making of art like this reminds us that even seemingly straightforward images are the product of skilled labor, imbued with the values and the techniques of the maker.