Christus als Salvator Mundi, omringd door de vier evangelisten 1510 - 1526

This small, anonymous print depicts Christ as Savior of the World, surrounded by the four evangelists. It was made using a technique called engraving. The process begins with a metal plate, likely copper, into which lines are cut with a tool called a burin. These lines hold ink, and when pressed against paper in a printing press, they transfer the image. Notice the crisp precision of the lines, the density of the hatching used to create shadow. The artist would have needed a high level of skill to create this. Prints like this were relatively inexpensive to produce, and were a key way of disseminating images in early modern Europe. The labor involved in creating the printing plate might seem at odds with the print's function as a mass-produced item. Yet, in their own way, prints such as this played a key role in the development of visual culture. They challenge the modern distinctions between 'high art' and accessible, functional images.