Zelfmoord van Saul na zijn nederlaag door de Filistijnen 1613

Antonio Tempesta made this print of the Suicide of Saul sometime between 1555 and 1630, using etching and engraving on paper. These are intaglio processes, meaning that the image is incised into the plate, in this case likely copper. The artist would have covered the plate with a waxy ground, scratched the design into it with a sharp needle-like tool, then bathed the plate in acid, which bites away the exposed metal. Engraving, done with a burin, would have been used to add finer details. The plate is then inked and wiped, leaving ink only in the etched lines. Pressed against paper, the image is transferred. Prints like this one existed in a world of multiples; they are relatively quick to make, and were intended for wide distribution. While Tempesta was a highly skilled artist, he was ultimately creating a product for the market. The dramatic scene, frozen in ink, reflects not only biblical history, but also the dynamics of artistic production in his time.