Cardinal Jules Mazarin

About this work

This is a black-and-white portrait of a serious-looking man with curly hair and a short beard. He’s dressed in a high-collar coat, looking straight ahead. The face is inside a rounded frame, surrounded by a border of repeating star shapes. The stars aren’t random—they’re made with tiny lines called cross-hatching, a trick to add shadow and depth. Next, look up engraving to see how artists like this carved intricate details into metal plates.