Heilige familie in Egypte 1510 - 1515

Marcantonio Raimondi created this engraving, "Holy Family in Egypt," around 1510. Engraving is an intaglio printmaking process. A design is cut into a flat metal plate, traditionally copper, using a tool called a burin. Raimondi would have applied considerable force to maneuver the burin, producing clean, precise lines. The depth and thickness of these lines determined the tonal range of the final print, as they held more or less ink. After inking the plate, he’d wipe the surface clean, leaving ink only in the engraved lines. Pressing paper against the plate under high pressure transferred the image. The graphic clarity of this print, made through physical labor, mirrors its subject. Joseph is shown working as a carpenter, in the lower left, turning a raw material into a useful product. The holy family is thus presented in the context of work and human production. Raimondi elevates this labor through his own skilled handiwork, bridging the divide between craft and fine art.