Evangelist Lucas 1588 - 1592

This engraving of the Evangelist Luke was made by Conrad Goltz. Goltz was a printmaker in the Netherlands, part of a tradition that helped disseminate ideas in early modern Europe. The print shows Luke with a book and pen, ready to write his gospel. The ox lurking over his shoulder is his attribute, a symbol that appears in religious art to identify him. But this isn't simply a devotional image. Printmaking was an important medium for establishing artistic reputation and demonstrating technical prowess. Prints also served a didactic function, circulating and codifying types and stories. In the absence of mass literacy, the visual image was a primary means of education and spiritual formation. Understanding the social function of such an image means turning to sources from the period such as religious tracts, inventories of domestic possessions, and publishing records to help us reconstruct the visual world of the early modern period.