Bellona Seated on her Trophies 1535 - 1550

This is Bellona Seated on her Trophies, an engraving made by Léon Davent sometime in the mid-16th century. Look closely, and you can see how the linear patterns define the forms, creating tone and texture. This wasn’t drawn freehand. Davent would have used a tool called a burin to manually cut lines into a copper plate, with the plate then inked and printed. The character of the image is entirely dependent on this skilled, labor-intensive process. Consider how different this is from drawing with ink on paper. The material of the copperplate and the action of the burin give the composition its crisp, graphic quality. Printmaking processes such as engraving were crucial to the dissemination of visual culture in early modern Europe. They allowed images to be reproduced and circulated widely, playing a vital role in shaping perceptions and beliefs. Paying attention to materials and how things are made helps us to appreciate not only the artistry involved, but also the broader social and cultural context in which artworks are created.