Eight Apostles in Four Roundels 

Israhel van Meckenem created these copperplate engravings of Eight Apostles in Four Roundels in the late fifteenth century. Engraving is a printmaking technique. The artist would have used a tool called a burin to carve lines directly into a polished copper plate. The plate is then inked, and the surface wiped clean, leaving ink only in the carved lines. Finally, paper is pressed against the plate, transferring the image. Look closely, and you can see the fine, precise lines that define the apostles' robes and features. Van Meckenem was a prolific printmaker, and this work reflects the increasing demand for religious imagery during the period, when the printing press allowed such images to be widely circulated and collected. The production of prints like these involved skilled labor, from the preparation of the metal plate to the printing process itself. Considering the material and the making process allows us to appreciate the skill and effort involved in creating these images, and to understand their role in the wider social and economic context of the time.