Portrait of Pope Eugene IV 

Jean Fouquet rendered this portrait of Pope Eugene IV using the intaglio printmaking process. It is painstaking. The artist cuts lines into a metal plate, applies ink so it fills those grooves, then presses paper onto the plate. The paper pulls the ink up and off the metal. Notice how the materiality of the print– the crispness of line, the contrast between light and dark, the gentle graduation of tone – all these qualities depend on the physical techniques used to make it. Fouquet mastered not only the graphic impact of the image, but also the subtleties of the printmaking process itself. He made the most of a medium that was on the ascendant in the 15th century. The proliferation of prints went hand-in-hand with the rise of a more visually literate public. Here, Fouquet made an object that could be widely circulated, thus amplifying the Pope's presence across the continent. It is a far cry from a unique painting on panel. The medium is a crucial part of the message.