Mystieke huwelijk van de heilige Catharina 1501 - 1580

This print, “Mystical Marriage of Saint Catherine,” was made by Giulio Bonasone around the mid-16th century. It's an engraving, meaning the image was incised into a metal plate, likely copper, with a tool called a burin. The plate was then inked, and the ink transferred to paper under great pressure. Look closely, and you can see the fine lines that build up the image. This wasn’t just about technical skill. Printmaking in this era was a means of disseminating ideas, and cultivating taste. Bonasone was one of many Italian printmakers who made their living reproducing the work of better-known artists, in this case Parmigianino, whose name is emblazoned at the bottom. So, in a way, this image is a product of its own moment of production and consumption. It speaks to the way that art and craft were deeply intertwined, and how skill and labor contributed to the circulation of images and ideas in Renaissance Europe.