Self-Portrait

About this work

This black-and-white print shows a man in a dark coat and hat holding up a small sketch of a woman’s face. His other hand rests on a bust of a young man’s head on a pedestal beside him. A quill pen and some drawing tools lie scattered on the table. The artist included his own face in the sketch the man is holding—like a mirror. This print was made using a mix of etching and drypoint, which lets artists scratch fine lines into metal plates. Look up etching, drypoint, aquatint to see how these techniques work.