Portret van de arts Georg Laub 1612

This portrait of Doctor Georg Laub was made around 1600 by Dominicus Custos. It's an engraving, a printmaking technique where lines are cut into a metal plate, which is then inked and pressed onto paper. Look closely, and you’ll see the effect of this process. The image is built up from many tiny engraved lines, creating shadows and textures. It takes a lot of skill to control the depth and spacing of those lines, to achieve such a realistic effect. Engravings like this were essentially a reproductive technology. They allowed images to be circulated widely, like printed text. This print would have served to promote Doctor Laub's status and reputation in a world where medicine was still a very uncertain art. The skull and the Latin inscription remind us of our mortality. In this context, even a doctor is just another person working to hold back the inevitable.