Christ Before Caiaphas, from The Passion of Christ, plate 10 1664

This is Christ Before Caiaphas, an engraving made by Grégoire Huret in the 17th century. Engraving is an intaglio printmaking process, where the design is incised into a metal plate. Think about the labor involved. Using a tool called a burin, Huret would have painstakingly cut lines into the copper, a subtractive process demanding absolute precision. The plate is then inked, and the surface wiped clean, leaving ink only in the incised lines. Finally, immense pressure is needed to transfer the image onto paper, a testament to the physical demands of printmaking. The stark contrast between light and shadow, achieved through the density and direction of lines, gives the scene its dramatic intensity. The image could be reproduced, and disseminated widely. In this way, Huret's engraving operates within a system of production and consumption, a powerful tool for spreading ideas and narratives in early modern Europe. So let's consider this print not just as a work of art, but as a product of skilled labor, and a vehicle for cultural exchange.