John Sheffield, Third Earl of Mulgrave, FirstDuke of Buckinghamshire

About this work

This is a black-and-white portrait of a man in fancy 1700s clothes. His curly wig is big, his coat is dark with gold trim, and he wears a sash full of medals. The background is plain, so all the focus is on his serious face and the shiny details on his outfit. The artist used a technique called *mezzotint*, which creates smooth shading by scratching tiny lines into the metal plate. This made the print look almost like a painting, even though it’s just ink on paper. Next, check out how *Baroque* artists loved dramatic details and rich textures—this print shows why.