Titelpagina met portret van Augustinus van Hippo 1632 - 1670

This print of Saint Augustine was made by Pieter de Jode the Younger, sometime around 1633. It's an engraving, a printmaking technique with a long history, developed in the workshops of goldsmiths. The process begins by using a tool called a burin to carve lines directly into a metal plate. Ink is then applied to the plate and carefully wiped off the surface, remaining only in the carved lines. The plate is then pressed onto paper, transferring the ink and creating a mirror image of the original design. Look closely, and you'll see the subtle gradations of tone and the sharp, precise lines. The medium lends itself to detail, and would have been relatively easy to reproduce en masse at the time. Prints like this were a vital means of circulating images and ideas in early modern Europe, acting as a kind of pre-industrial media. De Jode’s engraving skillfully captures the solemnity and intellectual authority associated with Saint Augustine. The material process—engraving—allows for the widespread distribution of this message, connecting it to broader issues of religious communication and the burgeoning print culture of the 17th century.