Editing Prince Rupert of the Rhine (section)

===Interest in art===
During this period Rupert became closely involved in the development of [[mezzotint]], a "negative" or [[Intaglio (printmaking)|intaglio]] printmaking process which eventually superseded the older [[woodcut]] process. Rupert appears to have told a range of associates that he had conceived of the mezzotint process through having watched a soldier scrape the rust from the barrel of his musket during a military campaign. [[John Evelyn]] credited Rupert as the inventor of the technique in 1662, and Rupert's story was further popularised by [[Horace Walpole]] during the 18th century.<ref>Salaman, p. 60.</ref>
Considerable academic debate surrounds the issue, but the modern consensus is that mezzotint was instead invented in 1642 by [[Ludwig von Siegen]], a German lieutenant-colonel who was also an amateur artist. Siegen may or may not have met Rupert: Siegen had worked as [[chamberlain (office)|chamberlain]], and probably part-tutor, to Rupert's young cousin [[William VI, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel]], with whom Rupert discussed the technique in letters from 1654. Rupert did, however, become a noted artist in mezzotint in his own right. He produced a few stylish prints in the technique, mostly interpretations of existing paintings, and introduced the form to England after the [[English Restoration|Restoration]], though it was [[Wallerant Vaillant]], Rupert's artistic assistant or tutor, who first popularised the process and exploited it commercially. Rupert's most famous and largest art work, ''[[The Great Executioner]]'', produced in 1658, is still regarded by critics such as Arthur Hind and Antony Griffiths as full of "brilliance and energy",<ref>Hind, p. 263.</ref> "superb" and "one of the greatest mezzotints" ever produced;<ref>Griffiths, p. 85.</ref> other important works by Rupert include the ''Head of Titian'' and ''The Standard Bearer''.<ref>Spencer, p. 252.</ref>