Portret van de heilige José de Calasanz 1767 - 1809

Girolamo Carattoni created this portrait of Saint José de Calasanz sometime before 1814, using etching and engraving. These are printmaking processes, meaning the image exists in multiple impressions. Note the intricate play of light and shadow, achieved by carefully incising lines into a metal plate, which would then have been inked and pressed onto paper. The skilled labor required for such detail speaks to the status of printmaking as both a craft and a means of disseminating imagery widely. The choice of printmaking for this portrait is significant. It suggests an intention to spread Calasanz's image and message, aligning with the social mission of the Piarists, the religious order he founded. The very act of reproducing the image democratizes it, making it accessible beyond the elite circles who could afford unique painted portraits. By considering the material and the making, we see how this artwork operates not just as a devotional image, but as a carefully considered piece of visual communication, embedded in the social fabric of its time.