Claudia de Medici, Wife of Leopold of Austrian Tyrol
1629
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1629
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
This is a black-and-white portrait of a woman in fancy clothes. Her ruffled collar is wide and starched, and she wears a beaded necklace. Around her head is a fancy oval frame with Latin words and tiny cherubs holding symbols like a crown and a shield. The background has swirls and more writing, including a poem at the bottom. This is an engraving, meaning it was carved into metal and printed. The artist used cross-hatching—lots of tiny lines—to create shadows and texture. Look up engraving to see how this technique works.
