Saint Bartholomew and Saint Philip from The Twelve Apostles 1480 - 1485

Israhel van Meckenem made this engraving of Saint Bartholomew and Saint Philip in the late fifteenth century. The lines you see were incised into a copper plate with a tool called a burin. The plate would then have been inked and pressed onto paper, transferring the image. Look closely, and you can see the accumulation of tiny marks that create tone and texture. The linear nature of the medium lends itself well to the depiction of fabrics, hair and architectural details. Engraving was a highly skilled practice, requiring years of training to master the precise control of the burin. Its rise was closely connected to the printing press and the expanding market for reproducible images. Van Meckenem was one of the most prolific printmakers of his time, producing over 600 engravings. His success reflects the growing demand for art among the rising middle class, and the way that the division between art and design was not as firm as it is today. By appreciating the labor and skill involved in this print, we can see it as both a work of art and an object of commerce.