Apostel Bartolomeüs met een mes 1583

Agostino Carracci created this small engraving of the Apostle Bartholomew in the late 16th century, a time of religious and social upheaval. Carracci was part of an artistic family in Bologna who sought to reform painting by returning to classical principles. But this image also speaks to the complex politics of imagery in Counter-Reformation Italy. Bartholomew, identifiable by the knife referring to his martyrdom, stands as a symbol of faith and sacrifice. Note the halo, and the saint's name inscribed to reinforce his identity, an important concern in the struggle against Protestant iconoclasm. Carracci’s work reflects the influence of the art academy, an institution that played a crucial role in shaping artistic production and taste. To fully appreciate this engraving, we might look at theological texts, the history of printmaking, and the patronage networks that sustained artists like Carracci. The meaning of art is always contingent on its social and institutional context, and it’s the historian's role to uncover those layers of meaning.