Portrait of Conrad Meyer - Rudolf Füssli

A precise eighteenth-century etching by Swiss artist Rudolf Füssli, capturing a profile portrait of Conrad Meyer with disciplined line work.

This etching by the Swiss artist Rudolf Füssli, also known as Rudolf Füssli the Younger, presents a profile study of Conrad Meyer. The work is executed with the precision characteristic of eighteenth-century printmaking, utilising fine, controlled lines to define the facial features and the texture of the subject's hair. The composition is stark and focused, placing the subject against a neutral background to draw attention to the anatomical accuracy of the profile.

Füssli, a member of a prominent family of artists in Zurich, was well-versed in the traditions of portraiture and historical documentation. His approach here is analytical, capturing the specific contours of the sitter's nose, brow, and jawline with a disciplined hand. The shading is achieved through cross-hatching, a technique that provides volume to the form without relying on excessive tonal variation. The inclusion of Latin text at the base of the print identifies the subject and his lineage, a common practice in portrait engravings of the period intended for scholarly or archival collections.

This print reflects the broader European interest in biographical portraiture during the Enlightenment. Artists often produced such works to document the appearance of contemporaries, scholars, and public figures. The clarity of the line work and the absence of extraneous decorative elements allow the viewer to engage directly with the physiognomy of the sitter. As a piece of historical graphic art, it provides a window into the aesthetic values of the Swiss art scene in the late eighteenth century, where technical proficiency and clarity of representation were held in high regard. The print remains a clean example of the portrait etching tradition, suitable for those interested in the history of printmaking or the documentation of historical figures.