Group from Last Judgment, St. Bartholomew, St. Peter, and other Apostles 1475 - 1565

Domenico del Barbiere made this engraving, "Group from Last Judgement," using ink on paper. Engraving is an intaglio process. First, the artist would have used a tool called a burin to manually cut lines into a metal plate, and then the whole plate is inked. The surface is wiped clean, leaving ink only in the incised lines. High pressure forces the paper into the lines to pick up the image. Here, Barbiere translates Michelangelo’s fresco, using line alone to suggest color and form. Think about the labor involved. The density of lines shows real dedication, and the degree of control required to achieve the effects of light and shadow. And consider the social context: prints like this allowed the distribution of imagery far and wide; they democratized access to the master's work. The very act of reproducing Michelangelo’s figures speaks to the reverence, and perhaps even the commodification, of artistic genius during the Renaissance. By understanding the meticulous processes and the reproductive function of engraving, we gain insight into the cultural values of the time, challenging any strict separation of art and craft.