Portret van Marcus Antonius Gian Baptista Montanus 1579 - 1615

This portrait of Marcus Antonius Gian Baptista Montanus was made by Dominicus Custos, and is an engraving. Look closely, and you’ll see that it's made up of thousands of tiny lines. Engraving is a printmaking technique, where the artist uses a tool called a burin to carve lines into a metal plate. Ink is then applied to the plate, and the surface is wiped clean, leaving ink only in the engraved lines. The plate is then pressed onto paper, transferring the image. It demands incredible skill and patience. The fine lines create a high level of detail and texture, crucial for capturing the likeness of the subject, and the details of his clothing. It's amazing to think of the labor involved in creating such a detailed image, all by hand. This engraving shows the importance of craft and skill in artmaking, and it’s a reminder that even seemingly simple images can be the result of a complex and time-consuming process.