William Burnet
Date unknown
Medium
Stipple engraving on paper
Dimensions
Image: 10.4 × 8.1 cm (4 1/8 × 3 1/4 in.); Sheet: 27.8 × 17.9 cm (11 × 7 1/16 in.)
Classification
reproduction
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
274336
Art Historical Context
This delicate stipple engraving portrays William Burnet, a prominent figure likely from colonial America, though the artist and exact date remain unknown. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints Drawings Department, this reproduction measures a modest 10.4 × 8.1 cm for the image itself, set on a larger 27.8 × 17.9 cm sheet— for portable prints designed for albums, books, or personal collections. Stipple engraving, the chosen medium, is a refined intaglio technique where artists build tones and textures through clusters of fine dots rather than lines. Popular in the 18th and 19th centu...