Heilige Jodocus van Ponthieu als kluizenaar after 1598

This engraving of Saint Jodocus as a hermit was made by Thomas de Leu, around the turn of the 17th century. It is a print, and what’s crucial to understand is that the very nature of this medium – an image impressed from a matrix – lends itself to widespread distribution. Consider how this print was made: a metal plate would have been meticulously incised with lines, each one catching ink to create the image. De Leu was a master of this demanding, skilled process. The density of the lines create tone and shadow. It is these lines that allow the image to be reproduced over and over again. Looking closely, you can see the Latin inscription at the bottom, highlighting Jodocus, who fled the kingdom of his father and built two chapels with his own hands. The print itself becomes a way of extending the Saint’s message, echoing the structures he built himself, and spreading his message far and wide. So in understanding this print, we're not just appreciating an image, but also recognizing its role in a much wider story of faith, labor, and dissemination.