Saint Bernard standing holding an open book, a chained dragon at the lower right, from the series 'Piccoli Santi' (Small Saints) 1495 - 1505

This engraving of Saint Bernard, holding a chained dragon, was made by Marcantonio Raimondi, likely in the first decades of the 16th century. The print was made using metal plates, and the engraved lines would have been incised laboriously with a tool called a burin. Ink would be applied to the plate and then wiped away, remaining only in the engraved lines. The image would then be transferred to paper using a printing press, exerting considerable pressure. The very character of this image derives from these processes. You can see the finely hatched lines creating the shadows of St Bernard’s robes. The effect is graphic and precise, offering an aesthetic quite different from a drawing or painting. The image is small, but it would have been relatively easy to reproduce and distribute. Engravings like this played an important role in disseminating visual ideas and, of course, in generating wealth for those who produced them. Considering the material and processes helps us appreciate this image not just as a religious scene, but as a product of its time.