Portret van Abraham Gorlaeus 1580

Hendrick Goltzius created this portrait of Abraham Gorlaeus using the intaglio printmaking technique of engraving. Look closely, and you’ll see that the image is composed entirely of thousands of tiny lines. These were painstakingly incised into a copper plate with a tool called a burin. The plate was then inked, and the excess wiped away. The ink that remained in the engraved lines was transferred to the paper under the pressure of a printing press. Engraving demanded exceptional skill, but it allowed for the relatively easy reproduction of images. This was essential to the spread of knowledge and visual culture in the early modern period. The resulting prints were more affordable, making art accessible to a wider audience. Here, the meticulous labor involved reflects a changing economy, where skilled craftsmanship meets the demands of a burgeoning market for art and information.