Portret van Christoffel d'Assonville

This print, Portrait of Christoffel d’Assonville, was made by Jacobus Buys using etching and probably some engraving too. These are both printmaking techniques, where lines are incised into a metal plate – in this case, copper – and then filled with ink and printed. With etching, the artist covers the plate with a waxy ground, then scratches through it with a needle to expose the metal. The plate is then immersed in acid, which bites into the exposed lines. Engraving, on the other hand, is a more direct process where the artist uses a tool called a burin to cut lines directly into the plate. Both techniques demand skill and precision, and allow for detailed, reproducible images. Prints like this played a crucial role in disseminating knowledge and culture in past centuries. While we might think of them as being less important than painting or sculpture, they are in fact vital for understanding the wider circulation of images and ideas, and they show a completely different aspect of an artist’s practice.