James I as James VI of Scotland
1600
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1600
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
This black-and-white portrait shows a man in fancy 17th-century clothes. He’s wearing a wide-brimmed hat with a big feather, a ruffled collar, and a chain around his neck. The background is a simple oval frame with Latin words like "King James" and "Scotland" carved around it. The tiny lines and shading in the print make his face and clothes look almost three-dimensional. This kind of detailed linework is called cross-hatching. Next, check out how cross-hatching works in other prints.
