Portret van paus Clemens VII 1549 - 1573

This portrait of Pope Clemens VII was made using engraving, a printmaking technique that involves cutting lines into a metal plate. The engraver would have used a tool called a burin to carve these lines, each one carefully placed to create the illusion of light and shadow. This painstaking process requires intense concentration and highly trained skill. The incised plate is then inked, and the surface wiped clean, leaving ink only in the engraved lines. Paper is then pressed against the plate, transferring the image. What's fascinating is how this method, born from the world of craft, could so effectively capture the likeness and authority of someone as powerful as the Pope. The very act of engraving, with its precise and repetitive gestures, mirrors the meticulous nature of religious tradition. It reminds us that even the most exalted figures are, in a sense, products of human labor and skill. By focusing on the making of this print, we realize the importance of considering the material and social context in which art is created. The image is as much about the process of engraving as it is about the Pope himself.