Portret van kardinaal Giberto Borromeo 1658

This print of Cardinal Giberto Borromeo was made by Etienne Picart, who lived between 1632 and 1721. It’s a reminder that even seemingly straightforward images can be intensely crafted objects. This is an engraving, meaning that Picart would have used a tool called a burin to incise lines into a copper plate. The plate is then inked, and the surface wiped clean, so that ink remains only in the etched lines. Finally, the plate is pressed onto paper. The image appears by virtue of the ink held by those precisely-made grooves. The beauty of the print medium lies in its capacity to deliver very fine detail. Look closely, and you’ll see a masterful rendering of the Cardinal's face and robes. It's not just a portrait, but a testament to Picart's skill, and the amount of work he invested in its creation. This combination of artistry and technique shows how prints could elevate the status of both the subject, and the maker.