Portret van Erasmus Oswald Schreckenfuchs 1597 - 1599

This portrait of Erasmus Oswald Schreckenfuchs, a 16th-century mathematician, was made by Robert Boissard using an engraving technique. Engraving is an intaglio printmaking process. The artist uses a tool called a burin to carve lines into a metal plate, usually copper. The incised lines hold ink, and when the plate is pressed against paper, the image is transferred. Notice the fineness of the lines, especially in Schreckenfuchs's face and beard. This level of detail would have required tremendous skill and time. The printmaking process was crucial for disseminating knowledge and images in the early modern period, contributing to the rise of science and the Renaissance. By understanding the labor and skill involved in creating this engraving, we can appreciate the democratizing potential of printmaking and the value placed on knowledge during this transformative era.