Heilige Bernardus Tolomei c. 1576 - 1624

Francesco Villamena created this print of Heilige Bernardus Tolomei, sometime between the late 16th and early 17th centuries, using the intaglio process. In intaglio, a metal plate, usually copper, is incised, then inked so that the lines read as dark against the light of the paper. The character of the image, therefore, depends on the burin’s marks and the paper’s smooth surface. Consider how the lines create tone and texture in the monk’s robes, face, and hands. These details would be far more time consuming to achieve in a painting. The cost and time associated with the technique reflects the status of the subject. Printmaking was also a relatively efficient process that allowed for the wide distribution of images. It was perfectly suited to communicating religious imagery like this. The choice of intaglio for this work is far from accidental. It is a conscious aesthetic decision that speaks volumes about both the subject, and the means of production.