Portret van Johannes Argyropoulos 1549 - 1577

This is a portrait of Johannes Argyropoulos, made with engraving, by an anonymous artist. The dense hatching and fine lines of the engraving give the image a remarkable texture. Look closely and you can see the artist’s hand at work, carving away the negative space to leave the portrait raised in relief. Engraving is an indirect process, intimately tied to the history of printing. The labor involved in creating such a plate was considerable, demanding not just artistic skill but also technical expertise. The incised lines would have been filled with ink, and then transferred to paper using a press. Each print is a direct record of the artist’s labor. In its time, this image would have been one of many, circulated widely and consumed as part of a growing visual culture. By understanding the material processes behind it, we can appreciate its value as both a work of art and a product of its time.