Verzoeking van de heilige Antonius 1555 - 1608

Pieter van der Borcht made this engraving, "The Temptation of Saint Anthony," sometime around 1600. The print, made from an etched copper plate, shows the saint at prayer, beset by demons. Engraving was a highly skilled craft. It demanded years of apprenticeship to learn how to translate an image into a network of lines, precisely cut into the metal. Think about the labor involved, not only in the drawing itself, but in the complex printmaking process. The engraver would have had to consider the effects of light and shadow, of texture and form, all through the lens of technique. The choice of this medium speaks volumes. Inexpensive prints like these allowed images to circulate widely, fueling both religious devotion and social critique. The print medium was perfectly suited to the era of emerging capitalism, able to reach a wide audience with a message. By considering the material and its modes of production, we gain a deeper insight into the work’s cultural significance.