Michel Amelot

About this work

This is a black-and-white portrait of a man with curly hair and a serious expression. He’s wearing a high-collar shirt with a lace cuff, and his hands rest on a small shield with a coat of arms. The background is a simple oval frame with decorative lines around it. The artist used tiny lines to build up shadows and details—this is called cross-hatching. It makes the face look three-dimensional even though it’s just ink on paper. Want to see how this technique works up close? Look up engraving.